tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44697105313892306472018-01-23T10:19:56.399-05:00The Pokémon Sprite GuyA look through time at the evolution of Pokémon sprites. And dorky commentary about which ones are best.pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.comBlogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-64234448826979194412014-08-11T01:38:00.000-04:002014-08-11T02:47:48.258-04:0063. Abra<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aar4t9WbSSU/U-hE9Zp6w2I/AAAAAAAAA7A/OlxiIsPJbjA/s1600/63.+abra.png"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Aar4t9WbSSU/U-hE9Zp6w2I/AAAAAAAAA7A/OlxiIsPJbjA/s1600/63.+abra.png" /></a><br />Is Pokemon science fiction, or is it fantasy?<br /><br />Abra lets us ponder this, as the first pokemon in the dex that deals heavily with mysticism and the supernatural. It’s a psychic little fox-shrew-person that teleports all the time. All the Japanese names in its evolution line reference famous mystics. Plus in Pokemon there are literal ghosts running around. But hey, maybe Abra’s powers could be explained by science! Maybe its brain is just that powerful, or it’s normal-powered <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NinetyPercentOfYourBrain" target="_blank">but accessing 100% of its capacity.</a><br /><br />I think Pokemon, like a lot of my <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1305826/" target="_blank">favorite</a> <a href="http://mutantmagic.com/" target="_blank">things</a>, is at the intersection of sci-fi and fantasy. It’s all about biologically speculative creatures doing sometimes-magic things. Unless you think that pokemon are all just manifestations of memes, which is cool (if a bit anthropocentric)(and a theory largely <a href="http://www.bradofarrell.com/" target="_blank">popularized by a jerk</a>). But even then, I like to think about how those manifestations would physically work. The Pokemon journey itself is one of scientific discovery—a guy in a lab coat gives you an encyclopedia to fill. Also there’s the deal with Mewtwo being a gene-spliced clone of Mew, which in the mid 90s was <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolly_(sheep)" target="_blank">as topically sci-fi as you could get</a>.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://cardart.tumblr.com/post/24529440347/art-by-mitsuhiro-arita-1999" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://38.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m56s8d9hrp1rxldc4o1_500.png" height="250" width="372" /></a></td><td><a href="http://cardart.tumblr.com/post/27787401237/art-by-sumiyoshi-kizuki" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PcTyil7jdj0/U-hOXespZHI/AAAAAAAAA8Y/9iy3v04Cfx4/s1600/tumblr_m7bdjbKVlN1rxldc4o1_500.png" height="250" width="353" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />One thing’s for sure: Abra is living out <i>my</i> fantasy in that it sleeps 18 hours a day and is still functional enough to teleport away from danger <i>while still sleeping</i>. That approaches Snorlax/Slowpoke/Slakoth levels of young adult aspirational quality. It’s too bad the Abra line isn’t bulky enough to run Sleep Talk well, because that would be perfect thematically. Still, the sleepy nature comes across in Abra’s sprites, which are all laid back—literally.<br /><br />Most, like Red and Blue’s, are content to sit with their hands folded on their belly.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gM2ZH3_Q4EI/U-hIHS6N15I/AAAAAAAAA7M/VZEVZq6eQHc/s1600/Spr_1b_063.png"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gM2ZH3_Q4EI/U-hIHS6N15I/AAAAAAAAA7M/VZEVZq6eQHc/s1600/Spr_1b_063.png" /></a><br />HeartGold and SoulSilver’s is so unconcerned with your presence that it does a little crotch scratch:<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hqr9fxkCXzU/U-hIk_XEFCI/AAAAAAAAA7U/im6PEhhDMOQ/s1600/Spr_4h_063.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Hqr9fxkCXzU/U-hIk_XEFCI/AAAAAAAAA7U/im6PEhhDMOQ/s1600/Spr_4h_063.png" /></a><br />Diamond and Pearl’s is the same but picking its nose:<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kLsWev0EuuU/U-hIpsWT4xI/AAAAAAAAA7c/ydJPyeax3xQ/s1600/Spr_4d_063.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kLsWev0EuuU/U-hIpsWT4xI/AAAAAAAAA7c/ydJPyeax3xQ/s1600/Spr_4d_063.png" /></a><br />Crystal’s is so filled with mirth by your attempt to battle that it clicks its heels together and wags its tail:<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4uk39k1ipk/U-hI1d2du5I/AAAAAAAAA7k/nWSMHEcpGvs/s1600/Spr_2c_063.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-i4uk39k1ipk/U-hI1d2du5I/AAAAAAAAA7k/nWSMHEcpGvs/s1600/Spr_2c_063.gif" /></a><br />And ranking highest on the Abra Investment scale, the Gold one deigns to OPEN ONE EYE at us!<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jr_aX74AYg/U-hJAmwk5WI/AAAAAAAAA70/iFOXhiY-gRE/s1600/Spr_2g_063.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jr_aX74AYg/U-hJAmwk5WI/AAAAAAAAA70/iFOXhiY-gRE/s1600/Spr_2g_063.png" /></a><br />My goodness. Abra <i>is</i> capable of standing up, as shown in several of its back sprites. But you only see this after you get a hold of one and presumably inject some motivation into its telepathic slacker lifestyle.<br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aW3KigLQ2JA/U-hJ-DWTYgI/AAAAAAAAA78/ia0xc2gnIpk/s1600/Spr_b_2g_063.png" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aW3KigLQ2JA/U-hJ-DWTYgI/AAAAAAAAA78/ia0xc2gnIpk/s1600/Spr_b_2g_063.png" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0j9JHg0qpkI/U-hKsw3TW7I/AAAAAAAAA8M/oOULQkM2nB0/s1600/Spr_b_4p_063.png" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0j9JHg0qpkI/U-hKsw3TW7I/AAAAAAAAA8M/oOULQkM2nB0/s1600/Spr_b_4p_063.png" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Speaking of which, one thing I love about Abra is how it’s encountered in the games. It’s elusive, first being a rare find and then teleporting away without fail. You go through 30 wild pokemon battles before you even see another one. To a kid who might not have Sleep Powder on a fast enough pokemon yet, and doesn’t understand that pokeballs have a pretty good capture rate on low level pokemon even when they’re at full health, capturing Abra is no mean feat. Abra is the ephemeral, the unattainable. It totally throws a wrench in the rhythm of normal pokemon capture.<br /><br />Then when you do catch one, it doesn’t learn any attacks until it evolves at level 16, so training it requires patience and care. Considering Psychic was the imposing OP type of Gen I, it’s cool that they did this with the staple Psychic pokemon. Delayed gratification. I feel like recent pokemon games have done away with the idea of making certain pokemon harder to catch and raise—there are still rare pokemon, but you wander around in grass until you find it and then it’s smooth sailing from there. A Gen VI player training an Abra just goes “god this is SO BORING I’ll just turn the Exp. Share on and never use it in battle until it’s good”<br /><br />Abra’s original name, Casey, is based on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Cayce" target="_blank">Edgar Cayce</a>, an early-1900s psychic healer from Kentucky who kinda spawned the New Age and holistic medicine movements in the States. He was known for going into a trance or sleep-state to deliver readings on people from his subconscious—hey, sounds like Abra!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkLTjSYC4rY/U-hQOJTWZhI/AAAAAAAAA8k/QCMnK4H8WDs/s1600/cayce.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hkLTjSYC4rY/U-hQOJTWZhI/AAAAAAAAA8k/QCMnK4H8WDs/s1600/cayce.jpg" /></a><br />It’s too bad the references to historical figures were dropped when the Abra family got localized. For one, they’re educational, and have that Did You Know quality of other pokemon names that reference people like Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Plus, a small character with psychokinetic powers and a mundane name like “Casey” gives me a very Mother vibe. But considering how many Mother developers were involved with Pokemon, the entire presence of Psychic types has a very Mother vibe.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Gold</b><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jr_aX74AYg/U-hJAmwk5WI/AAAAAAAAA70/iFOXhiY-gRE/s1600/Spr_2g_063.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8Jr_aX74AYg/U-hJAmwk5WI/AAAAAAAAA70/iFOXhiY-gRE/s1600/Spr_2g_063.png" /></a><br />R/G is a close second, as it forgoes cuteness for straight-up creepiness. It’s the most detailed and alien-looking, for sure. But ultimately I kept getting bothered by the weird perspective on the legs.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qckAQdDjqz4/U-hVoI6iZWI/AAAAAAAAA88/CVn4GNga8kI/s1600/Spr_1g_063+copy.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qckAQdDjqz4/U-hVoI6iZWI/AAAAAAAAA88/CVn4GNga8kI/s1600/Spr_1g_063+copy.png" /></a><br />Gold’s winking and extra-casual pose won me over, as I feel it best captures Abra’s trickster persona. It still baffles me how much expressiveness you can give a sprite's eye with the change of one or two pixels. And this Abra overall feels very volumetric. Look at how much bigger its shoulder pads are than on every other sprite! Its whole profile feels more weighty and fleshed-out, which makes it cuter to me.<br /><br />Later ‘bra.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pkparaiso.com/xy/sprites_pokemon.php" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hamnMhS5mzw/U-hQpgMBp6I/AAAAAAAAA8s/LejPtGfC1jM/s1600/abra.gif" /></a><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-46101745292512958272014-02-24T04:05:00.000-05:002014-02-24T16:56:07.399-05:0062. Poliwrath<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GMtoDfZ0u3Y/Uwr2Bq1kYLI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Wu6prje7IDQ/s1600/62.+poliwrath.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GMtoDfZ0u3Y/Uwr2Bq1kYLI/AAAAAAAAA3A/Wu6prje7IDQ/s1600/62.+poliwrath.png" /></a></div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Enu7ZmSuVk/UwrC9j-qcrI/AAAAAAAAA10/PM7cuJMLFzw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-23+at+10.27.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4Enu7ZmSuVk/UwrC9j-qcrI/AAAAAAAAA10/PM7cuJMLFzw/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-02-23+at+10.27.43+PM.png" /></a><br />The day is come friend!<br /><br />Watching the X and Y reveals made me aware of a tendency in creature design, which one Pokebeach poster called "it gets bigger" syndrome. It didn't come up because any gen VI pokemon suffer from it, but because our expectations and projections do. As a reminder, this is what many wanted Frogadier's evolution to look like:<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td style="vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V23o64ZUulw/UwrM2_tf78I/AAAAAAAAA2E/gsTkHB-xOls/s1600/11904.png" imageanchor="0"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-V23o64ZUulw/UwrM2_tf78I/AAAAAAAAA2E/gsTkHB-xOls/s1600/11904.png" /></a></td><td style="vertical-align: bottom;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qBJD0Q7mEXc/UwrNHkCL4mI/AAAAAAAAA2M/0LirzDUFe-w/s1600/250px-657Frogadier.png" imageanchor="0"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-qBJD0Q7mEXc/UwrNHkCL4mI/AAAAAAAAA2M/0LirzDUFe-w/s1600/250px-657Frogadier.png" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />All the respect in the world to fakemon artist <a href="http://zerudez.deviantart.com/art/Kalos-Final-Evos-FAKE-402834252" target="_blank">zerudez</a> and his wonderful Sugimori-style rendering. But there's a reason why the ultimate design for Greninja looks like Greninja, and not like this. That dude is essentially a Frogadier that got bigger. The obvious characteristics of Frogadier are taken and intensified, but no design elements are introduced, aside from the black spots. It's more of an extrapolation than an evolution, and certainly falls short of the professionally clever and gross concept of Greninja's shinobi-style tongue scarf. Yet, there was much internet caterwauling when the real McCoy was revealed, and even long afterwards I couldn't get my friends to google "froakie final evolution" without them seeing the fakemon instead; it had become that popular.<br /><br />I don't only bring this up because Poliwrath and Greninja are both <a href="http://bogleech.tumblr.com/post/73021467373/hey-guys-can-i-join-ur-frog-team-gross" target="_blank">blue-colored frogs</a>. It's so easy to sit here and trash a poor guy's design for not living up to the standards of Gen VI evolution, yet here we are comfortably loving a Pokemon in Poliwrath that's basically the poster child of "it gets bigger." Did Gen I pokes simply face less scrutiny, from design to reception? Or is there nothing at all wrong with simple evolutions, and the difference in new pokemon is just a matter of style?<br /><br />A couple thoughts:<br /><br />- In my last post I came just short of calling Poliwhirl the objectively best pokemon, and in that respect any degree of resemblance to it can only be a good thing, in fact we would be blessed to have Poliwhirl variants taking up multiple pokedex slots. Seven Poliwhirls, maybe more. Imagine<br /><br />- Maybe the small degree of change is the point? <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axolotl" target="_blank">Axolotls</a>, neoteny in amphibians and so on. It's the opposite of what you'd expect from tadpoles in a game about metamorphosis, which is kind of awesome (and indeed, all 3 polis are the "Tadpole Pokémon"). Also there's something to be said for giant, muscly tadpoles, and until I played X and Y I don't think I appreciated just how big the entire Poli line is. Poliwags are 2' spheres - they're beach ball size. I don't know how accurate the scaling in XY is; Greninja is clearly given its standing height in a crouching position, so when it does stand it's like 11 feet tall. But I enjoy that people see pictures like this and have to be a little <a href="http://adamapplesauce.tumblr.com/post/67508884425/is-it-just-me-or-are-poliwag-freaking-huge" target="_blank">freaked out</a>:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10XX0gE_f50/UwrqeQeckII/AAAAAAAAA2c/Kzr4Pm0_HpQ/s1600/tumblr_mwjbgrpPQD1sk42aeo1_400.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-10XX0gE_f50/UwrqeQeckII/AAAAAAAAA2c/Kzr4Pm0_HpQ/s1600/tumblr_mwjbgrpPQD1sk42aeo1_400.jpg" /></a><br />- It's simplistic to say Gen I designs were all more minimalist than now. True, there was an <a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.com/2012/03/51-dugtrio.html" target="_blank">angry eyebrow evolution</a> and a <a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.com/2012/10/57-primeape.html" target="_blank">cross-popping vein evolution</a>, but look at the starting pokemon: Charizard is a salamander that grew wings, and Wartortle grows <i>metal cannons</i> out of nowhere. No fan could have seen <i>those</i> coming. Meanwhile Gen VI has much-loved lines like Goodra and Talonflame, which evolve in a steady and conventional way.<br /><br />Of course, Poliwrath <i>is</i> distinct from Poliwhirl. I would never gloss over its je nes se quois. Obviously, it gets those broader shoulders and more of the classic, upside down triangle shape of heavy muscle characters. For some reason, its profile has always reminded me of Gossamer from Looney Tunes, probably due to childhood scarring.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxr4_Z4jnQY/UwrskYmVDgI/AAAAAAAAA2o/ZsS2HWyHq4g/s1600/Gossamer_restored.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fxr4_Z4jnQY/UwrskYmVDgI/AAAAAAAAA2o/ZsS2HWyHq4g/s1600/Gossamer_restored.jpg" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tHWjbq7UIhE/UwrsoFtJmvI/AAAAAAAAA2w/HDFAfZVmnp0/s1600/Poliwrath--screenshot_large.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tHWjbq7UIhE/UwrsoFtJmvI/AAAAAAAAA2w/HDFAfZVmnp0/s1600/Poliwrath--screenshot_large.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />It compares favourably with Frogadier 2.0 up there, in that it keeps a chubby, charming look and doesn't have to grow spikes or splotches. It was smart, in all seriousness, to keep intact a lot of the roundness of Poliwhirl's design, while adding an edge (almost literally). And that <s>helix fossil</s> spiral pattern will never go out of style. In case you're wondering btw: in all but a few early sprites, the swirl on 'wrath and 'whirl always goes clockwise, and the swirl on 'wag goes counter-clockwise.<br /><br />While Poliwhirl almost had a visible skeleton, Poliwrath has an interesting design history as well. Look at the <a href="http://cdn.lolbrary.com/2013/12/5/lolbrary.com_27353_1386292828.jpg" target="_blank">kingly swag</a> on this one:<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x1NvK18ltjk/Uwr4hhN8BRI/AAAAAAAAA3M/7vIbbPY0DQg/s1600/Nyosuka.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x1NvK18ltjk/Uwr4hhN8BRI/AAAAAAAAA3M/7vIbbPY0DQg/s1600/Nyosuka.png" /></a><br />This style is so cool. Again I am reminded of Rayman characters, or maybe an old Kirby boss. A whole world of frog prince mythology would have come into play if they had kept that crown, and it would have been fresh given that this frog is heavy-set and kinda villainous. The resemblance of that crown to the eventual design for King's Rock is also interesting. What could have been! But I'm guessing they wanted to go for a more active and capable-looking monster to befriend, and it's understandable. Personally, I'd have a hard time deciding between a bloated, enormous tadpole and a tadpole with beefcake arms.<br /><br />I ordered the first box set of Pokemon Adventures (volumes 1-7) to do Poli research for this post, and it didn't get here in time. But my recollection is that Red's Poliwrath is his full-time lifeguard, and now I can't wait to dive through those exploits. So I bring you the most representative image of Poliwrath, and perhaps the whole relationship between pokemon and their trainers, to ever exist:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjrKDWTxYWA/Uwr9rS2-v5I/AAAAAAAAA3c/AkKh4SHH0mc/s1600/Poli.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xjrKDWTxYWA/Uwr9rS2-v5I/AAAAAAAAA3c/AkKh4SHH0mc/s1600/Poli.png" /></a><br />Lastly, it seems Bulbapedia added a reference to glass frogs on Poliwrath's page since the last time I memorized the entirety of its contents. So do yourself a search for glass frogs, which are real animals that are completely haunting and sweet. And would you look at that! Swirly guts!<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEcS5wY8Dis/UwsBhJMZnCI/AAAAAAAAA3o/8wosBOPXvag/s1600/06-translucent-tadpoles.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lEcS5wY8Dis/UwsBhJMZnCI/AAAAAAAAA3o/8wosBOPXvag/s1600/06-translucent-tadpoles.jpg" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LjSy41cuVZQ/UwsBojYCnpI/AAAAAAAAA3w/-kjXewK7xkE/s1600/54776776.DSCN2203frogcentroleneilexelcopepanamanewjan2006smallC.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LjSy41cuVZQ/UwsBojYCnpI/AAAAAAAAA3w/-kjXewK7xkE/s1600/54776776.DSCN2203frogcentroleneilexelcopepanamanewjan2006smallC.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Red and Blue</b><br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNRTxAKgkSQ/UwsGxOpisGI/AAAAAAAAA4A/fHsGXyp4oGo/s1600/Spr_1b_062.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cNRTxAKgkSQ/UwsGxOpisGI/AAAAAAAAA4A/fHsGXyp4oGo/s1600/Spr_1b_062.png" /></a><br />Yellow is very dynamic. I really like the upward tilt of B/W. And D/P has a sort of <a href="http://31.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m01tenKNVd1qhbr2so1_400.jpg" target="_blank">flair for the dramatic</a>. But I couldn't really be expected to pass over the fluid pose and shapely leg of this sprite, could I.<br /><br />Another thing R/B did well with both Poliwrath and Poliwhirl: put their eyes almost on eyestalks. Poliwrath's eyes have definitely receded further and further down into his skull over the years. But it turns out big round eyes nearly in silhouette are really fun to look at, which Game Freak took advantage of expertly in the design for Froakie.<br /><br />I'm leaving a note about my past year in the comments. Brace the day people!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pkparaiso.com/xy/sprites_pokemon.php?cid=17#chunk17"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uFBnrRN5FAI/UwsJyjYlQNI/AAAAAAAAA4M/fly6uWxGQYQ/s1600/poliwrath.gif" /></a><br /><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-40475777437827862342013-02-20T01:56:00.001-05:002013-02-20T02:24:55.684-05:0061. Poliwhirl<a href="http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9881/61poliwhirl.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9881/61poliwhirl.png" /></a><br />So many Polies! Poliwhirl is one of the few pokemon to get a different sprite in Emerald than it had in Ruby and Sapphire, and as you can see, it's due to the design shift from fingered gloves to mittens.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fBJxjdPxBIM/USRuu4nrW6I/AAAAAAAAAyk/j7AKaPanJ1k/s1600/pokemon_064.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fBJxjdPxBIM/USRuu4nrW6I/AAAAAAAAAyk/j7AKaPanJ1k/s320/pokemon_064.png" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-cfujbB_u0/USRu1DjkkwI/AAAAAAAAAys/yLBT5uAJp2I/s1600/poliwhirl.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0-cfujbB_u0/USRu1DjkkwI/AAAAAAAAAys/yLBT5uAJp2I/s320/poliwhirl.jpg" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />D'you ever wonder why Poliwhirl is <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qHfjkiQ69M#t=40s" target="_blank">always like... wearing gloves...?</a> It's a cartoon tradition, from Mickey Mouse and Looney Toons characters, to Itchy &amp; Scratchy and the Animaniacs. Originally they were meant to catch the eye and stand out from the characters' bodies in black and white cartoons. Video game characters don them for largely promotional reasons: Sonic the Hedgehog was consciously designed as a cartoon mascot that would appeal to Americans; Mario wore them in box art, but his sprites didn't have the palette for distinctly white gloves until Super Mario World. With Poliwhirl, though, you could argue the purpose is practical: its gameboy sprites were, after all, black and white. Their hands wouldn't come across quite as well without those gloves.<br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vAPbesd4Zyo/USRvItYKmWI/AAAAAAAAAy0/JL59pHxT8Sg/s1600/Spr_1g_061.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vAPbesd4Zyo/USRvItYKmWI/AAAAAAAAAy0/JL59pHxT8Sg/s320/Spr_1g_061.png" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEUOB2Y1EX8/USRvMBuhKlI/AAAAAAAAAy8/EOBA8Zi0LPo/s1600/Spr_1b_061.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zEUOB2Y1EX8/USRvMBuhKlI/AAAAAAAAAy8/EOBA8Zi0LPo/s320/Spr_1b_061.png" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>...Actually those look kind of cool!<br /><br />As for the Great Mittening: like most abrupt changes in pokemon design, the anime is to blame. Anime Poliwhirl always wore boxing gloves, also seen in its Yellow sprite—I'm guessing because they're easier to draw, help distinguish Poliwhirl from the visually similar Poliwrath, and hint at its near future as a fighting type. Interestingly, Poliwrath has always had fingers, probably because they're more menacing, when you think about it. Cartoon boxing gloves are cute and round! Fingers can grab you! Plus, it's easier to see mittens “evolving” into a more complex shape, than vice-versa.<br /><br />If you want to reconcile Poliwhirl's old depictions with its new ones in the pokemon world, I suggest that all Poliwhirls in fact have fingers, and some just prefer wearing mittens! It's a free country. Though this raises the issue of pokemon wearing clothing—where does Poliwhirl get the gloves? Does Tyrogue just hatch out of its egg with pants and bandages? Are Sylveon's bows made of flesh? Let us think on this.<br /><br />Surprisingly, this isn't the first time Poliwhirl's design has been tweaked, as we can see from its concept art:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VCIf0Jcv5mk/USRvY45x_uI/AAAAAAAAAzE/92qBhSHtA1c/s1600/Poliwhirl_concept_art.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VCIf0Jcv5mk/USRvY45x_uI/AAAAAAAAAzE/92qBhSHtA1c/s320/Poliwhirl_concept_art.png" /></a><br />Now, it's easy to see <i>why</i> they didn't run with the idea of Poliwhirl's skeleton being visible through its skin. It would have been very difficult to depict with gameboy graphics, for instance. That being said, <i>oh my god</i>. <i>Its skeleton could have been visible through its skin</i>. You have no idea how much I've always wanted a skeletal or undead pokemon – they have pokemon described as actual ghosts, they have pokemon that wear and wield bones, so why not? Poliwhirl could have been the Skeleton Frog pokemon. And it would have made perfect sense – Poliwag has guts showing through its skin, so as the tadpole develops Poliwhirl would display skeletal structure and Poliwrath would display musculature! The anatomy pokemon!<br /><br />But it wasn't to be. They at least left us with some very cool and descriptive Pokedex entries, like this one from Gold which has become the entry à la mode: “The spiral pattern on its belly subtly undulates. Staring at it gradually causes drowsiness.” First of all, it's cool how the Poliwhirl family really learns Hypnosis in-game; Game Freak is good about actually looking at their own designs for move set inspiration. Second of all, let's appreciate how Poliwhirl's body is <i>constantly undulating</i> and <i>will make you feel funny</i> just for looking at it. It's the original Hypnotoad.<br /><br />And it's hard to say modern Poliwhirl has done poorly for its opaque self. It's a fantastically successful design, really. All circles and swirls! For a while it may have had a shot at being the de facto pokemon mascot; it was <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8377/8490605371_19674d934f_b.jpg" target="_blank">Red's signature pokemon</a> in the manga, and a <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Polibo" target="_blank">team member for Gold</a> as well. It had a spot on the <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8517/8491705124_b6be09cb29_b.jpg" target="_blank">logo for Pokemon Center Tokyo</a>. And then there was this, one of my favourite images in pokemon history:<br /><br /><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8490605351_c09fee2094_b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8100/8490605351_c09fee2094_b.jpg" /></a><br />This is Poliwhirl's defining moment. The star of the show, framed by a cosmic aura, with its hypnotic spiral and expressionless eyes, jumping off the page in magazine stands in every town in America! No wonder the cover line expresses threat and alarm! How could a child <i>not</i> be corrupted by pokemon, after seeing this?<br /><br />It was a wise editorial decision on TIME's part, as Poliwhirl has the most eye-catching stomach in the universe, and its central positioning on that cover takes advantage of that. Sadly, Poliwhirl's star has faded these days, while Pikachu is still on top. Personally, I blame oral bias; Poliwhirl doesn't have a mouth, while Pikachu does, and that gives the mouse more opportunity to look like a happy mugging doofus. Y'know, something we relate to.<br /><br />That's not to say Poliwhirl can't be expressive! It <a href="http://velvateena.deviantart.com/art/Papermon-Poliwhirl-252968405" target="_blank">gives fistbumps</a>! <a href="http://www.redbubble.com/people/theinternet/works/9506626-poliwhirl?p=kids-clothes" target="_blank">Adorns babies</a>! <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8107/8491705130_d2103e7cf1_b.jpg" target="_blank">Looks contemplative</a>! <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8228/8491705148_ed841297f9_b.jpg" target="_blank">Has ideas</a>! Inspires <a href="http://s.ecrater.com/stores/34097/479825844f8f1_34097b.jpg" target="_blank">costumes</a> and <a href="http://nazzara.deviantart.com/art/Pokemakeup-061-Poliwhirl-263987830" target="_blank">eye-makeup</a>! <a href="http://s275.beta.photobucket.com/user/Kami-/media/Pokemon%20Gijinka/03b45725-1.jpg.html?fromLegacy=true" target="_blank">Takes punches</a>! <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8375/8490605395_bed73006bc_b.jpg" target="_blank">Invents poses</a>! And <a href="http://wc3r.forumcircle.com/forumdata/data65/wc3r/files/thumbs/t_poliwhirl_865.jpg" target="_blank">holds unpopular opinions about music</a>! But it's not part of the anime anymore, and BW2 buried it underwater (when c'mon, it's like <i>the</i> amphibious pokemon). Froakie is set to overshadow it as the first frog starter. So it's seemingly doomed to be appreciated by only us old-timers. And that's okay. If you're discussing favourite pokemon with someone and Poliwhirl comes up, you know to give that person props!<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Red and Blue</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VEeoLC6dX4U/USRyc_S5P5I/AAAAAAAAAzg/e4ovrjjyC5A/s1600/Spr_1b_061.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VEeoLC6dX4U/USRyc_S5P5I/AAAAAAAAAzg/e4ovrjjyC5A/s320/Spr_1b_061.png" /></a><br />I like this one for its loose and stylish lines. It looks like a Rayman character. And it's got that clenched fist of determination.<br /><br />Gold through Crystal are really good too, well posed and shaded as usual. I like whatever D/P is doing. But both it and the B/W sprite look kind of flat. B/W is one of the ones that looks better animated, though, where it's allowed to get all squishy. There's even squash and stretch on its feet!<br /><a href="http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/5447/061cg.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/5447/061cg.gif" /></a><br />Until next time!<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pw-SXyOsr2A/USRzMjrNA1I/AAAAAAAAAzo/ldpIevD3RY4/s1600/44-poliwhirl.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-pw-SXyOsr2A/USRzMjrNA1I/AAAAAAAAAzo/ldpIevD3RY4/s320/44-poliwhirl.jpg" /></a><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com41tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-81725282445453196162012-12-10T02:52:00.001-05:002012-12-10T02:59:48.710-05:0060. Poliwag<a href="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/1509/60poliwag.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="70" src="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/1509/60poliwag.png" width="713" /></a><br />The claim to fame of Poliwag is that it is <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Satoshi_Tajiri" target="_blank">Pokemon creator Satoshi Tajiri's favourite pokemon</a>. And that means it should also be YOUR favourite pokemon. <br /><br />If you haven't read up on this guy and the early days of Game Freak, it's an incredibly do-it-yourself, inspirational story. Game Freak was so broke during the first game's six-year development that five employees quit and Tajiri stopped paying himself a salary. At all stages there was doubt it would be published; when it finally was, it had a really slow start, and only started spreading through the appeal of the link cable. In a way, it was the precursor to online games. <br /><br />It's easy to take Pokemon for granted now, but we wouldn't be sitting here enjoying it if it weren't for this one person and his keenly sensitive relationship to the world around him. Even something as singular and nostalgic as spreading honey on tree bark to catch beetles<span style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 16px;">—</span>that made it directly into the games, as anyone who's tried to catch Heracross in D/P can attest. Not many games and media franchises are based on specific childhood experiences like that.<br /><br />Usually we have to sort of speculate about pokemon origins, but Poliwag comes <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2040095,00.html" target="_blank">directly from Tajiri's brain:</a> “It looks like a tadpole. There's little whirls on it because I remembered that when you pick up a tadpole, you can see its intestines because it's transparent.” Okay, so that's not the most elaborate origin, but it's simple and original. The “I remembered” part is the key; it's not “what do people remember about tadpoles,” it's “what do <i>I</i> remember,” and in this case it's little Satoshi Tajiri holding a pollywog in his hand and going “woahhh, I can see through its skin!” For whatever reason, personal touches like that are lovely, and Generation 1 was probably full of them.<br /><br />Unexpectedly, Poliwag really is a subtle and accurate portrayal of tadpoles. If you're thinking, “What about its googly eyes and rudimentary feet,” well guess what TADPOLES HAVE THOSE SOMETIMES<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8259597165_84f8a2367d_b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8199/8259597165_84f8a2367d_b.jpg" width="323" /></a></td><td><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8204/8259597193_82cc5e815b_b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="154" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8204/8259597193_82cc5e815b_b.jpg" width="409" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I mean, look at those. If you transpose their mouths onto their backs and swing the tails around, they would look exactly like Poliwag.<br /><br /><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8363/8259612901_05651ab351_b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8363/8259612901_05651ab351_b.jpg" width="155" /></a><br />And if you're still skeptical about Poliwag being two feet tall and weighing 25 pounds, bullfrog tadpoles look like they could probably get that big:<br /><br /><a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8260703270_136ddb50ca_b.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8218/8260703270_136ddb50ca_b.jpg" width="368" /></a><br />If the above picture makes you remark, “gross,” then you are not alone. Tadpoles creep me the heck out. They're dark and slimy and shaped like sperm. They look like snot. And because frogs and toads are often the first animals to show ill-effects from pollution, and tadpoles are the first form of frogs and toads, you're probably more likely to look at a tadpole than any other creature and see something freaky like two heads or extra limbs. Something so embryonic and biologically simple should not be so visible! Nature needs to keep its awkward baby business away from prying eyes, like usual, not all up in our swimming holes. Not that I would trust swimming holes anyway, because <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naegleria_fowleri" target="_blank">that's where brain-eating amoebae live</a>.<br /><br />But it's easy to see why tadpoles are so intriguing to people. For one, they're widely available; the Common Toad, <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8479/8259656689_c11c105a41_b.jpg" target="_blank"><i>Bufo bufo</i></a>, has a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bufo_bufo_distribution.png" target="_blank">range spanning three continents</a>. For another, they have a drastic, visible metamorphosis; they develop not only limbs but <i>lungs</i> post-natally, and completely change habitats; unlike insects that morph in cocoons, we can see all their in-between stages; and finally, tadpoles are pretty much self-sufficient; some walk around on land; some are omnivorous and eat other tadpoles. And I mean, look at that bullfrog tadpole up there. That is a <i>fish</i>. Not bad for what is basically a larval stage. This is the kind of stuff that would make primitive cultures think frogs and tadpoles were unrelated or some kind of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_generation" target="_blank">godly voodoo</a> was responsible, like maggots being born from rotting meat. Of course, now we know tadpoles metamorphose when they gain enough experience points and reach level 25.<br /><br />The whole growing legs and moving onto the land thing also neatly parallels the evolution of terrestrial life in general, as every Evolution of Man montage will show us. And where would the Pokemon game mechanic be without evolution?<br /><br />For all those heavy implications and unsettling qualities of tadpoles, though, you have to admire Game Freak for condensing them down to palatable ol' Poliwag. It used to look a bit more dark, as we can see in its early sprites and Pokemon Pinball appearance:<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlXcs1x4oAU/UMWNgqPKuYI/AAAAAAAAAxA/yYbuH0c1YbM/s1600/Spr_1g_060.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="29" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MlXcs1x4oAU/UMWNgqPKuYI/AAAAAAAAAxA/yYbuH0c1YbM/s400/Spr_1g_060.png" width="52" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7DWrVl8SPw/UMWNowA566I/AAAAAAAAAxM/KFC3DQrF8Fc/s1600/Spr_1b_060.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="34" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-x7DWrVl8SPw/UMWNowA566I/AAAAAAAAAxM/KFC3DQrF8Fc/s400/Spr_1b_060.png" width="52" /></a></td><td><a href="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5593/pin060.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="32" src="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5593/pin060.gif" width="48" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Old-school Poliwag was invariably coloured black with an eyes-half-shut pouty face. Nowadays it's a bit more circular, bright, and cutesy, but I still think the original inspiration shines through. They take a tadpole and think, “What's a feature of tadpoles can we exaggerate in our design?” And then Tajiri goes, “Probably that you can SEE THEIR GUTS THROUGH THEIR SKIN.” And then they dial it back again, by making the guts appear in a cute spiral pattern. A lot of the best pokemon seem to be born by this recipe: cute animal &gt;&gt;&gt; disturbing idea &gt;&gt;&gt; cute execution. That is the Pokemon way.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Diamond and Pearl</b><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJqZGSudJ24/UMWNyORW92I/AAAAAAAAAxY/Nhb_fT1CrNg/s1600/Spr_4d_060.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="52" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MJqZGSudJ24/UMWNyORW92I/AAAAAAAAAxY/Nhb_fT1CrNg/s400/Spr_4d_060.png" width="80" /></a>I like representations of Poliwag that give it a vaguely pointy shape, like actual tadpole and frog heads. <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8483/8260726550_b4935317c5_b.jpg" target="_blank">Sugimori's</a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8210/8260726334_724f329c99_b.jpg" target="_blank">artwork</a> is usually good at this. For some reason that egg shape is just more believable than a circle with feet. D/P doesn't do this as well as B/W and HG/SS, but it's still better than the circular Silver and Crystal sprites. It also has the biggest watery puppy dog eyes and is posed the most swimmingly.<br /><br />I really wanted to like HG/SS's sprite, but it's kind of asymmetrical in its lower half, like it's missing a butt. Observe how its right eye is higher than its left eye, but its right edge is lower than its left edge!<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-UUNcjDRH0/UMVyIena1HI/AAAAAAAAAv0/E1b3-PdjZxk/s1600/poliwag%2Blopsided.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="88" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Q-UUNcjDRH0/UMVyIena1HI/AAAAAAAAAv0/E1b3-PdjZxk/s400/poliwag%2Blopsided.png" width="95" /></a><br />This may seem like nitpicking, but I stared at this sprite a long time and at no point did that stop bothering me.<br /><br />There's also the question of how many times Poliwag's guts should spiral. 2-3 revolutions seems to be ideal. But with Crystal through FR/LG, those intestines barely make it around once! LAZY. How are those supposed to hypnotise anyone?<br /><br />Finally because Poliwag's head is basically its entire body, it contributes to some of my favourite <a href="http://alexonsager.net/pokemon/" target="_blank">pokemon fusions</a>. Like Squirtwag and Vulwag here.<br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ord9iiDdQQ/UMWTPEP0qII/AAAAAAAAAx4/bC3_Sirg3TQ/s1600/squirtwag.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1ord9iiDdQQ/UMWTPEP0qII/AAAAAAAAAx4/bC3_Sirg3TQ/s400/squirtwag.png" width="142" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTVW1uY5NNA/UMWTXYU3vgI/AAAAAAAAAyE/oumAPGJGz_4/s1600/vulwag.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="140" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ZTVW1uY5NNA/UMWTXYU3vgI/AAAAAAAAAyE/oumAPGJGz_4/s400/vulwag.png" width="170" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-12811827761268618582012-11-12T17:48:00.000-05:002014-02-23T22:49:48.543-05:0059. Arcanine<a href="http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7881/59arcanine.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://img208.imageshack.us/img208/7881/59arcanine.png" height="102" width="735" /></a><br />Arcanines, calm down. You are almost too big for my blog, Arcanines. Tone down the majesty.<br /><br />I've had a love-hate relationship with Arcanine, as a fan of Ninetales; they're basically set up as (usually version-exclusive) counterparts, yet Arcanine blows it out of the water in everything that isn't the smogon metagame. It has the stats, the design, the regard, the anime appearances. Its Special Attack was boosted by 20 in the Gen II Special split, while Ninetales' was nerfed by that much. It gets a shiny post-evolution toy in one-time signature move ExtremeSpeed, which out-powers and out-priorities all other priority attacks. It's back in full force in BW2, since you can acquire one before the 4th gym leader (Vulpix is tucked away in the Abundant Shrine, thank you for asking). It's 6'3" on all fours and weighs 350 pounds. And it's the Pokemon mascot of luxurious, flowing fur. I can't fault Arcanine for being gorgeous, but it sure got a good deal.<br /><br />At 555, Arcanine (or RK9, as the kids call it) has the third-highest base stat total of all non-legendary or pseudo-legendary pokemon—behind only Slaking and Archeops, both of which have hindering natures. Therefore, Arcanine is pretty much statistically the strongest regular everyday pokemon. It's practically a legendary anyway; there's speculation that it was intended to be one, but got demoted to a normal at some point in development. Its species name is “Legendary Pokemon,” and even the anime thinks it belongs in that company.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_eme8lpQUis/UKE_dDMZAHI/AAAAAAAAAlk/BQ3jJkSWWpo/s1600/Legendary_Pokemon_engravings_EP002.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_eme8lpQUis/UKE_dDMZAHI/AAAAAAAAAlk/BQ3jJkSWWpo/s400/Legendary_Pokemon_engravings_EP002.png" height="240" width="320" /></a><br />I don't want to hate on legendaries since there's many good reasons to like them, but recent generations might have been better served saying, “You know what, some of these could just be regular pokemon,” instead of introducing 15 legendaries apiece. Those pokemon belong in the wild, y'know, where they are free to procreate like everyone else. Equal distribution of pokemon to the people! No more event exclusives! No more <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Azure_Flute" target="_blank">secret items that are never released</a>! So thank you Arcanine, for combating legendary surplus.<br /><br />Most of Arcanine's pokedex entries make some reference to it being revered by people, especially in China, tying into its guardian lion origin. If you encountered its Black and White entry anywhere else, you would just assume it's a description of a lion: “Its proud and regal appearance has captured the hearts of people since long ago.” Then there's this one, from SoulSilver: “Its magnificent bark conveys a sense of majesty. Anyone hearing it can't help but grovel before it.” That's right plebians, GROVEL. You are not <i>worthy</i> of Arcanine. If the Pokemon world were Narnia, Arcanine would be Aslan.<br /><br />Let's take a moment to appreciate exactly how majestic Arcanine is, complete with clickthrough links. Few pokemon get this much quality artwork, official or otherwise:<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><a href="http://thunderwest.deviantart.com/art/Growlithe-Arcanine-50557456" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-BwG1eolcc9E/UKFGyIYxOXI/AAAAAAAAAmg/ulzGd1HWTw0/s400/Arcanine.png" height="223" width="469" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://www.pidgi.net/wiki/File:Arcanine_-_Red_and_Blue.png" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-xyl_ukUPYy8/UKFHkjOCfXI/AAAAAAAAAms/8uv40dWdQOY/s400/Arcanine_-_Red_and_Blue.png" height="223" width="266" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/51846" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nkk6oV73QhQ/UKFNk2IRFCI/AAAAAAAAAnE/bKwuLsb5m-k/s400/Arcanine.full.51846.jpg" height="237" width="275" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/359045" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-W2a1Iq83Qao/UKFNtR46L3I/AAAAAAAAAnQ/9GrVS5DW9hE/s400/pokemon%2Barcanine%2B1199x963%2Bwallpaper_www.wallmay.com_56.jpg" height="237" width="203" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://xous54.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-Legendary-PKMN-110255865" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eJJeZfGR3OY/UKFN3xJvGxI/AAAAAAAAAnc/h5qJxBGSXK4/s400/Arcanine__Legendary_PKMN_by_Xous54.png" height="237" width="246" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://all0412.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-327619272" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZHcR9dned5w/UKFi3pjDcSI/AAAAAAAAAn4/j7-1qhbkYz0/s400/arcanine_by_all0412-d5f20nc.jpg" height="248" width="331" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/895961" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XFCNkp0Lx1I/UKFi_IOTfEI/AAAAAAAAAoE/osCSNwRxIvk/s400/Arcanine.600.895961.jpg" height="248" width="393" /></a></td> </tr></tbody></table><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/562246#full" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://img145.imageshack.us/img145/1076/houndoomhoundourninetai.jpg" height="322" width="735" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And it can be adorable and puppylike too, and apparently fit in a cup?<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/File:LightArcanineNeoDestiny12.jpg" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sS2M7SBz8Wk/UKFCvmTBV8I/AAAAAAAAAl8/rXpYmZrezNw/s400/LightArcanineNeoDestiny12.jpg" height="203" width="283" /></a></td> <td rowspan="2"><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/1076637" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://data.whicdn.com/images/33869213/Arcanine.full.1076637_large.jpg" height="486" width="389" /></a></td> </tr><tr> <td><a href="http://www.zerochan.net/1125588" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Eqzp3iJbIEk/UKFDoD5R27I/AAAAAAAAAmI/XqJtKwrQA9I/s400/tumblr_ljvycuFHAK1qhhablo1_500.jpg" height="283" width="283" /></a></td> </tr></tbody></table><br />And the hits keep coming. Want impressively spikey Arcanine papercraft? <a href="http://saberfiretiger.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-Papercraft-147655393" target="_blank">Done</a> and <a href="http://kinghyren.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-Papercraft-174053265" target="_blank">done</a>. Want Arcanine and Ōkami crossover? Arcanine's not even a wolf, <a href="http://arven92.deviantart.com/art/Okami-Arcanine-290293296" target="_blank">but sure why not?</a> Want Arcanine and ZOIDS crossover? <a href="http://nyiaj.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-Zoids-155338822" target="_blank">Arcanine and Liger Zero were fucking separated at birth.</a><br /><br />And who doesn't have this engraved in their memory?<br /><br /><a href="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1567/arcaninerunning.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/1567/arcaninerunning.gif" height="225" width="421" /></a><br />In a classic case of investing in better animation for the show's intro than the entire rest of the show, I'm not sure Pokemon would have as many fans today if it weren't for how well that opening communicated the appeal of the Pokemon world. A giant tiger dog bounding gracefully through a field? Sign me up!<br /><br />It really is the perfect match for Gary Oak, too.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maw4k63VE41qdypk1o1_500.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_maw4k63VE41qdypk1o1_500.gif" height="250" width="333" /></a></td><td><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Z7fnLybsPE/UwrAnS_DCrI/AAAAAAAAA1o/d0gdaJeeNiI/s1600/Arcanine-Showing-Gary-The-Girth-Oak-A-Fun-Time.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-5Z7fnLybsPE/UwrAnS_DCrI/AAAAAAAAA1o/d0gdaJeeNiI/s1600/Arcanine-Showing-Gary-The-Girth-Oak-A-Fun-Time.gif" height="250" width="333"/></a></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />And then, of course, there's this:<br /><br /><a href="http://pokemon-black2.deviantart.com/art/Arcanine-vs-Seviper-gif-307662749" imageanchor="1" target="_blank"><img border="0" src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/162/f/e/arcanine_vs_seviper_gif_by_pokemon_black2-d536a3h.gif" height="250" width="445" /></a><br />They could make ten Pokemon generations and not design a pokemon that fills the epic animal niche as nicely as Arcanine. The only thing Arcanine doesn't do is represent lions in Chinese mythology terribly well, <a href="http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=medium&amp;illust_id=22209480" target="_blank">fan art notwithstanding</a>. Because they were only introduced to lions through pelts and hearsay, the ancient Chinese had some creative ideas about what they looked like: usually stout, curly and monstrous, with bulging eyes. <br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm1OZdoCdCU/UKF4KuCMmDI/AAAAAAAAAqI/_VtC8AjYx18/s1600/ChineseLion.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Qm1OZdoCdCU/UKF4KuCMmDI/AAAAAAAAAqI/_VtC8AjYx18/s400/ChineseLion.jpg" height="251" width="167" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P258HxB2hz4/UKF4P1R5VaI/AAAAAAAAAqU/vENaUBl8Bs4/s1600/Forbidden_City_Imperial_Guardian_Lions.JPG" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P258HxB2hz4/UKF4P1R5VaI/AAAAAAAAAqU/vENaUBl8Bs4/s400/Forbidden_City_Imperial_Guardian_Lions.JPG" height="251" width="335" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zPcd0JXgSNY/UKF4WyA9alI/AAAAAAAAAqg/qgsWMo4coO4/s1600/Chinese_New_Year_Lion_Dance.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zPcd0JXgSNY/UKF4WyA9alI/AAAAAAAAAqg/qgsWMo4coO4/s400/Chinese_New_Year_Lion_Dance.jpg" height="251" width="223" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Game Freak has a certain advantage, in that a western artist asked to create a lion design would probably come up with something zoology-inspired at best and Lion King-inspired at worst. But Game Freak is cultural neighbours with the country with the coolest looking lions around. I want a vividly coloured lion dance pokemon, with flashing eyes and sweet moves! If they want to animate sprites so bad, that would be a fun one. And by level-up it would learn Swords Dance, Rain Dance, Quiver Dance, Teeter Dance, Dragon Dance, Lunar Dance, Petal Dance, and Fiery Dance. Or would that be culturally insensitive? Now I'm just impressed that Pokemon has that many dance moves.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>HeartGold and SoulSilver</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JZS4gzWkR6U/UKFtNvC6ZhI/AAAAAAAAApI/HCSrJcySYAM/s1600/Spr_4h_059.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JZS4gzWkR6U/UKFtNvC6ZhI/AAAAAAAAApI/HCSrJcySYAM/s400/Spr_4h_059.png" height="80" width="80" /></a><br />So every single Arcanine sprite is wonderful, I will say that right away. Gold is one of my favourites because you just don't see sprites positioned like that very often, where most of it's obscured but it's really taking notice of you. R/G's lightning stripes are my favourite stripes, and it's got dainty little feet. R/S and FR/LG look powerful as heck, D/P is another unexpected pose, and I like the volume on Silver and Crystal's manes.<br /><br />HG/SS is posed a little boringly by comparison, so what does it have besides size? The answer is <i>crazy huge size</i>. Put it next to the “legendary dogs” from the same game, and they are practically dwarfed in comparison. <br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JZS4gzWkR6U/UKFtNvC6ZhI/AAAAAAAAApI/HCSrJcySYAM/s1600/Spr_4h_059.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-JZS4gzWkR6U/UKFtNvC6ZhI/AAAAAAAAApI/HCSrJcySYAM/s400/Spr_4h_059.png" height="80" width="80" /></a></td> <td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yX9cTtrkCM/UKFto0scEUI/AAAAAAAAApU/oMJ1Y4rKCro/s1600/Spr_4h_243.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2yX9cTtrkCM/UKFto0scEUI/AAAAAAAAApU/oMJ1Y4rKCro/s400/Spr_4h_243.png" height="80" width="80" /></a></td><td><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lr_mRWCXSHY/UKFtsp5oGjI/AAAAAAAAApg/Oquih0jA1hI/s1600/Spr_4h_244.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Lr_mRWCXSHY/UKFtsp5oGjI/AAAAAAAAApg/Oquih0jA1hI/s400/Spr_4h_244.png" height="84" width="80" /></a></td><td><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EO9EogwOT5c/UKFtyUhapXI/AAAAAAAAAps/szJIFFCw1cI/s1600/Spr_4h_245.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EO9EogwOT5c/UKFtyUhapXI/AAAAAAAAAps/szJIFFCw1cI/s400/Spr_4h_245.png" height="80" width="82" /></a></td> </tr></tbody></table>That's sprite space usually reserved for Lugias and Kyogres. Also HG/SS has the highest frequency of fur locks, and on Arcanine that is obviously important.<br /><br />I'm a little disappointed in B/W's animation. When I first heard of Gen V's animated sprites, one of the first things that came to mind was the opportunity to make Arcanine look like the wind is blowing through its mane at all times. As fashion shoots and music videos have taught us, that is how majestic things look! It's been understood since way back in Crystal, when they first started giving sprites animations. B/W has it on the tail and leg tufts, but I'm not seeing it much in the front, where it counts.<br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr><td><a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/e/e4/Spr_2c_059.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/upload/e/e4/Spr_2c_059.gif" height="56" width="56" /></a></td><td><a href="http://sprites.pokecheck.org/i/059.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="http://sprites.pokecheck.org/i/059.gif" height="69" width="77" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table>Crystal works it better.pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-42779692180971327602012-11-06T00:46:00.000-05:002012-11-06T00:49:03.386-05:0058. Growlithe<a href="http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/4025/58growlithe.png" imageanchor="0"><img border="0" height="78" src="http://img593.imageshack.us/img593/4025/58growlithe.png" width="700" /></a><br />Pokemon is loaded with dogs. Gen II alone introduced five new ones (Houndours, Snubbulls, and Smeargle) and it was a relatively small generation. Poochyena and Mightyena made the total 9 (hyenas are more closely related to felines, but come on, one's got “pooch” right in the name), and the Lillipup line made it 12. That's not even counting Riolu and Lucario (jackals), Buizel and Floatzel (weasels, otters), Vulpix and Zorua (foxes), and the Eeveelutions and legendary beast trio (ambiguous). Include all those, and you might break 30. Meanwhile, there have only been 8 straight-up cat pokemon. I guess it makes sense, given that dogs are so familiar as companions, that they should see use in a game about superpowered pets. But, while I'm not taking sides as a cat-or-dog person, Game Freak should get its act together and pay more attention to the cat's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lolcat" target="_blank">cultural dominance</a>.<br /><br />Growlithe is an original, though. And with that feline fur pattern, it bridges the aisle. I think we can all agree that Growlithe is a lovely, well-designed dog-lion-tiger-fire thing, even those of us who begrudge having to train it to level 45 to get Flare Blitz on an Arcanine. Given that it's pretty much the pokemon spokesmodel for animal loyalty, holding out that long is the least a trainer can do. It has good enough stats and battles in style; it's even got a beard and a mohawk, like James Harden.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jx-14sTh8xU/UJicCXfJYiI/AAAAAAAAAk0/ungx4Wd_aIE/s1600/james-harden3.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-jx-14sTh8xU/UJicCXfJYiI/AAAAAAAAAk0/ungx4Wd_aIE/s400/james-harden3.jpg" width="262" /></a><br />If you're wondering where Growlithe's cool hybridity comes from, it's based on <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shisa" target="_blank">shisa</a></i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishi_(stone_lion)" target="_blank">shishi</a></i> and <i><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Komainu" target="_blank">komainu</a></i>, guardian dog and lion statues that are placed in and around temples and homes. The practice started when the Silk Road introduced Han dynasty China to Asiatic lions from southwest Asia, which came to be used as symbols of power and nobility. At one point in Japan, the lion statue, <i>shishi</i>, would always be paired with a dog statue, <i>komainu</i>, protecting the home in tandem. Eventually the two statues changed until they resembled each other, and were both called <i>komainu</i>. <i>Shisa</i> are another variant of lion-dog originating in Okinawa. The Chinese didn't incorporate dogs, but they did engineer <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shih_Tzu" target="_blank">several</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pekingese" target="_blank">dog</a> <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chow_Chow" target="_blank">breeds</a> to resemble <i>shishi</i>, and their lions are known as “foo dogs” in the West due to confusion and probably racism. At any rate, it's all very complicated and historical and the thing to take away from this is Growlithe is basically the official pokemon of human cultural evolution.<br /><br />So, where did the tiger part come from? Well... Bulbapedia asserts the statues look like tigers, which they don't particularly, so I'm guessing it's a case of Game Freak going “What's another cool thing we can work into this pokemon? Tigers??” And they were right to do so, because tigers are better than lions anyway. If I have one complaint about Growlithe, it's that its shiny form is the same gold as 95% of shiny forms, and not white like a Bengal tiger. But they can make it up to me with a Fire/Ice type tiger in the next games. Incidentally, the odds of a Bengal tiger being born with the white colouration is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_tiger#White_Siberian_tigers" target="_blank">apparently 1 in 15,000</a>, unless you breed them selectively. Are you getting this? It's a <i>real-life shiny pokemon</i>.<br /><br />Growlithe's sprites all render it very capable looking and fierce, or at least stoic. Action worthy sprites are a thing I appreciate. But I also like a lot of Growlithe's TCG artwork, which in contrast, seems to be trying very hard to convince us that Growlithe is a cutie baby.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tbody><tr> <td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJN2ILbaoNw/UJiYvOOWLdI/AAAAAAAAAkE/Oov7MuNiCtw/s1600/growlithe-neo-destiny-68.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-YJN2ILbaoNw/UJiYvOOWLdI/AAAAAAAAAkE/Oov7MuNiCtw/s400/growlithe-neo-destiny-68.jpg" width="235" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-Jgs_5eUpY/UJiY7oHo0uI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/517DvSg56zc/s1600/GrowlitheEXSandstorm65.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c-Jgs_5eUpY/UJiY7oHo0uI/AAAAAAAAAkQ/517DvSg56zc/s400/GrowlitheEXSandstorm65.jpg" width="265" /></a></td><td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--GdzwaGws7M/UJiZN5Xub8I/AAAAAAAAAkc/mj8eR9jO02M/s1600/VM-Green_10_Growlithe.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="170" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/--GdzwaGws7M/UJiZN5Xub8I/AAAAAAAAAkc/mj8eR9jO02M/s400/VM-Green_10_Growlithe.jpg" width="235" /></a></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm especially noticing a predilection for placing it atop or beneath breakfast tables. Look, we get it: Growlithe is domestic as fuck. Personally, I prefer <a href="http://squashfold.blogspot.com/2012/05/our-hearts-so-trueeee.html" target="_blank">this person's</a> interpretation:<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_smvJDCTEJY/T6iFAN_OVVI/AAAAAAAAAcA/LhXNphxSt5o/s1600/growlithe.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_smvJDCTEJY/T6iFAN_OVVI/AAAAAAAAAcA/LhXNphxSt5o/s1600/growlithe.png" width="367" /></a><br />It appears to have a pit bull head as its base, but still looks lithe and feline, with sweet head tufts. Of course, the crazed eyes don't hurt in endearing it to me.<br /><br />In the anime, most people probably remember Growlithe as Officer Jenny's pokemon, which I want to say is a good thing, Jenny being a good role model for young girls interested in law enforcement and whatnot. But looking back, Jenny is also kind of a ditz (is it just the 4kids voice acting?), endlessly replicated, who <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFgfPAcYWT8" target="_blank">can't tell the difference between a Growlithe and an Arcanine</a>. Also I'm not sure why a police officer's uniform needs to include heels and a skirt. <br /><br />So the best Growlithe appearance was actually in <a href="http://www.myspace.com/video/chris/pokemon-episode-48/62295396" target="_blank">the episode <i>Holy Matrimony!</i></a>, where it was revealed that James was best friends with a Growlithe in his past. He became estranged from his ultra-rich family for refusing to marry Jessibelle, the beard his parents set him up with. When he's tricked into coming home, Growlie remembers him, escapes his bourgeois prison, saves the day, and howls into the sunset as James departs to continue his criminal career.<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnAQNi9bMyI/UJiamwsD1sI/AAAAAAAAAko/uSuIiJuQwHs/s1600/growlie%2Bhowling.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-lnAQNi9bMyI/UJiamwsD1sI/AAAAAAAAAko/uSuIiJuQwHs/s400/growlie%2Bhowling.png" width="334" /></a><br />The episode was successful because it dealt with real people issues and the emotional bonds we form with animals. Also it proves once again the Pokemon anime would be better if it starred any character besides Ash.<br /><br />All-around, Growlithe is just a well-done pokemon. I'm glad they brought it back for BW2, and people genuinely seem to like it. It definitely has the highest Google images furry porn quotient of any pokemon I've searched so far. In case you're keeping score at home.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Black and White</b><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4aWZFSFEjvY/UJiji54wqgI/AAAAAAAAAlM/9QUlH4A8R6k/s1600/Spr_5b_058.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="61" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4aWZFSFEjvY/UJiji54wqgI/AAAAAAAAAlM/9QUlH4A8R6k/s400/Spr_5b_058.png" width="67" /></a><br />It's hard to choose just one, because most of these are good in different ways. Gold and Silver are definitely the scariest looking and have the best mohawks. HG/SS is the most dignified, and FR/LG looks game for anything. The original Gameboy sprites are weirdly smooth and well-shaded, like they're laminated, or actual statues. I like the more realistic take on their eyes: small, dark, and neutral.<br /><br />But they dial the cuteness up for B/W. It gets a polished cartoon character treatment: big round eyes, proportionately short limbs and a large head. Looks kind of like a dachshund, actually. Maybe that's not the ideal depiction of Growlithe, but I'm feeling victim to my human brain today, which finds round shapes to be friendly and appealing. Side by side, other sprites look kind of crude. You win this time, cute Growlithe. Though I'm not sure I'm a fan of how you're animated.<br /><a href="http://sprites.pokecheck.org/i/058.gif" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="52" src="http://sprites.pokecheck.org/i/058.gif" width="55" /></a><br />I know you need to look lively, but I'm pretty sure dogs don't buck in place like horses.<br /><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-4388376325610028832012-10-21T23:33:00.003-04:002014-02-24T01:40:52.977-05:0057. Primeape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://imageshack.us/a/img833/9699/57primeape.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="92" src="http://imageshack.us/a/img833/9699/57primeape.png" width="735" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I like Generation 1 as much as anyone, truly. But Primeape is a low point. I haven't written for this blog in months, and it might be for that reason; it's hard to get excited about writing a Mankey post, and then a Slightly Different Mankey post. Evolution was subtle with these two.<br /><br />But it's interesting to see how Primeape sprites are designed in such a way to distinguish them from Mankey sprites. Primeape has four key features an artist has to incorporate:<br /><br />-bigger, spikier<br />-wrist and ankle bands<br />-no tail<br />-a cross-popping vein<br /><br />And it should not be taken for granted that all these sprites successfully include those. The anime, for instance, once failed on the first step by drawing a Primeape the same size as a Mankey.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zrQFn-DH864/UIS4aMCtFdI/AAAAAAAAAjM/T27Grw7Qh4I/s1600/Mankey_Primeape_banana.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zrQFn-DH864/UIS4aMCtFdI/AAAAAAAAAjM/T27Grw7Qh4I/s400/Mankey_Primeape_banana.png" width="333" /></a><br />Perhaps it's a pygmy Primeape.<br /><br />Gen 1 sprites take the approach of emphasizing spikiness. They show fur with serious amplitude, as if Primeape is undergoing some kind of internal combustion. I think R/G actually has fur <i>shooting off Primape's body</i>. It's a nice touch, as if Primape's energy can't be contained by its frame. Gold and Silver, meanwhile, go with the volume approach. Their poofy torso-heads take up most of the sprite space. They have meaty digits and limbs. Their shading implies depth and roundness. They probably have the most convincing fur. All sprites Gen III and onward, of course, are bereft of artistic ideology.<br /><br />The cross-popping vein is interesting—first of all, because it apparently shows up through fur (consistent with its use in manga, I suppose), and second of all, because it makes Primape probably the only pokemon to have, as <i>an official part of its anatomy</i>, an emotive icon of Japanese origin. I can't think of another; a snot bubble for a sleeping pokemon? A sweat drop for an exasperated pokemon? <a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/ScaryShinyGlasses" target="_blank">Scary Shiny Glasses</a> for a plotting pokemon? A nosebleed for—well, there's good reason for that.<br /><br />Could this be a remnant of early pokemon design, which was intended for a Japanese audience? These days, Game Freak is more conscious of having a global franchise, so it's hard to imagine them using imagery that western gamers might not “get;” a few pokemon are even <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/James_Turner" target="_blank">designed by a Brit now</a>. Not that cross-popping veins are obscure or anything. I'm pretty sure that's about as global an icon for anger as you're going to find, but I might just be saying that because I grew up with Toonami and VHS fansubs.<br /><br />Primeape's angry vein and general disposition do give it a certain appeal, I won't deny it. People like it for the same reason they like the Tasmanian Devil, or the Incredible Hulk. If we're drawn to Snorlax because it's fat and lazy, we're drawn to Primeape because it's chaotic and empowered by temper tantrums. It was only on Ash's team for like two episodes, but that anime appearance still probably earned it a lot of fans. It got to win a martial arts tournament, despite lacking experience and expertise, simply by out-angering opponents. Primeape, you are an inspiration.<br /><br /><table border="0"><tr> <td><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87PH0UwFOjE/UIS2fCE90UI/AAAAAAAAAiY/SuMOZJiXs4U/s1600/250px-Ash_Primeape_Seismic_Toss.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-87PH0UwFOjE/UIS2fCE90UI/AAAAAAAAAiY/SuMOZJiXs4U/s400/250px-Ash_Primeape_Seismic_Toss.png" width="245" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjsS7gy8RSM/UIS2uMqSYmI/AAAAAAAAAik/e9KAxKbg2oc/s1600/tumblr_mbvmgmdBaF1rvvkg6o1_1280.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cjsS7gy8RSM/UIS2uMqSYmI/AAAAAAAAAik/e9KAxKbg2oc/s400/tumblr_mbvmgmdBaF1rvvkg6o1_1280.png" width="245" /></a></td><td><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruZwWJDEn04/UIS26fAJaHI/AAAAAAAAAiw/Tq4UCs5A33M/s1600/197.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="184" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ruZwWJDEn04/UIS26fAJaHI/AAAAAAAAAiw/Tq4UCs5A33M/s400/197.png" width="245" /></a></td> </tr></table><br />I'd wager Primeape has a lot more enthusiasts than Vigoroth, which is a similarly enraged ape pokemon (though actually sloths are not apes; they belong to the order Pilosa with anteaters and pangolins), despite Vigoroth having the <a href="http://www.ceder.net/pc/images/vigoroth_jp_pt1.jpg" target="_blank">more</a> <a href="http://www.pokecardex.com/serie/DRX/HD/102.jpg" target="_blank">interesting</a> <a href="http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y114/Encyclopika/Vigoroth.jpg" target="_blank">design</a> in my opinion. Apparently <a href="http://primeape91.bandcamp.com/album/the-running-free-ep" target="_blank">there is a rap artist who goes by "Primeape"</a>, so it passes the rapper name test. And it has been <a href="http://forums.kc-mm.com/Gallery/BrawlView.php?Number=24823" target="_blank">hacked into Brawl</a>, though I imagine that is true of most pokemon by this point.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1Jr53IzWI/UIS6dq9hijI/AAAAAAAAAjY/zh9Wx43N0pQ/s1600/VDn7e.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="224" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9M1Jr53IzWI/UIS6dq9hijI/AAAAAAAAAjY/zh9Wx43N0pQ/s400/VDn7e.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />Well, now I'm coming around on Primeape too. If there's an underutilized side to this pokemon, it's Primeape's potential to be scary. I mean, apart from Pokedex entries promising that a pissed off Primeape will chase you “to the ends of the earth”, most representations of Primeape miss out on the fact that it's a <i>ball of pure <a href="http://images.wikia.com/pokemon/images/e/ef/Xtrans_Hugh_sprite.png" target="_blank">rage</a></i> that will stop at nothing to cause <i>serious bodily harm</i> to things for virtually any reason. My favourite drawing of Primeape is for the Team Rocket set's Dark Primeape card. It's completely menacing.<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7V61gql3X-w/UIS66nOeeeI/AAAAAAAAAjg/57yKWAni7qs/s1600/43-dark-primeape.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7V61gql3X-w/UIS66nOeeeI/AAAAAAAAAjg/57yKWAni7qs/s400/43-dark-primeape.jpg" width="350" /></a><br />There's just something about its obvious anger combined with restrained body language that suggests that thing is about to snap and kill someone. The fact that it's standing in some weird Salvador Dali land probably helps make the illustration unsettling. But seriously, there's no reason why sprites can't be posed that well.<br /><br />To finish up my Primeape internet roundup, <a href="http://pkmnmc.deviantart.com/art/Primeape-Kong-and-Mankey-Kong-w-Timelapse-327553571" target="_blank">here is a nice Donkey Kong mashup</a>, <a href="http://yukida1angel.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d5c7lk7" target="_blank">here is proof that Primeape can be cute</a>, and <a href="http://cdn.memegenerator.net/instances/400x/27633813.jpg" target="_blank">honestly I have no idea what this means</a>.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Silver</b><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56eGHR-ZMlI/UIS8J2Gj38I/AAAAAAAAAjs/gPwr3kWL928/s1600/Spr_2s_057.png" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-56eGHR-ZMlI/UIS8J2Gj38I/AAAAAAAAAjs/gPwr3kWL928/s400/Spr_2s_057.png" width="56" /></a><br />I pick this one for all the stuff I said about volume earlier, and because rearing it up is the best way to make Primeape look big and threatening. A lot of sprites put Primeape on one foot, with its limbs flailing, but this one does it while feeling the most heavy and grounded. It understands that Primeape exists in 3D space; compare it to HG/SS's flat sprite to see what I mean.<br /><br />Gold and Silver mark the first time Primeape was on a gym leader team, or a team of any serious opponent (Bruno never used one), so it's fitting that their sprites are the strongest looking. Chuck is the only gym leader who battles with only two pokemon and is met later than 2nd in a region; you can thank Primeape for holding up its end of the bargain in that DynamicPunch duo with Poliwrath.<br /><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-41855811323416129182012-08-10T02:27:00.000-04:002012-08-10T02:49:50.014-04:0056. Mankey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1200/56mankey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="75" src="http://img836.imageshack.us/img836/1200/56mankey.png" width="735" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />Mankey, I have some bones to pick with ye.<br /><br />One: monkeys and apes are overrated. There, I said it. I appreciate how they're complex, social creatures and our closest relatives and all. But they are not cute or captivating; when a cat or a bird or something behaves like a human, it's cute. When a primate does it, it's <i>terrifying</i>. It's uncanny valley in nature. Also they fling poo.<br /><br />Luckily for you if you're a primate lover, Game Freak does not share my views. They freaking love monkeys. They design new monkey pokemon literally every generation. By my count, there are now 18 different pokemon based on monkeys, apes and sloths (21 if you count the Electabuzz family, which is ape-like), and their numbers are growing exponentially; 8 of those are from Gen V alone. Give it a couple more games, and half the Pokedex will be monkeys. There are almost enough monkey pokemon for them to have their own type. Speaking of types...<br /><br />Two: Fighting pokemon are overrated. Or rather they are accurately rated, and overpowered. Things were better in Gen I, when dominating Rock and being the only type super effective against Normal was enough. Then they introduced two brand new, powerful, low-weakness pokemon types, <i>and made them both weak to Fighting</i>. Look, I get that martial artists can make a show of breaking bricks and wood planks, but I'm pretty sure dudes can't punch through plates of steel. They could have made Steel weak to Electric instead and everyone would have been happy.<br /><br />Plus, it's just a <i>boring</i> type. Every other pokemon type is based on something either in nature, or in fantasy (Dragon, Psychic, Ghost). With the exception of maybe wrestling stag beetles, the Fighting type is based entirely on stuff humans decide to do with our bodies. So you get a whole group of pokemon that basically resemble or function like people. And let me tell you: I don't get into biologically informed fantasy animal adventures so I can play as short humanoid things with boxing gloves. I'm pretty sure Yu-Gi-Oh could provide something like that.<br /><br />Three: I've picked this bone <a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.com/2010/05/4-charmander.html" target="_blank">before</a>, but it annoys me how they moved Mankey to being pre-Mt. Moon (route 22), and in both versions (instead of Red exclusive), <i>and</i> gave Charmander Metal Claw, just so that Charmander users in FR/LG would have an obvious shortcut to beating Brock. Yes, let's make the iconic Pokemon gym leader as easy to defeat as possible. Nice work, remakes.<br /><br />It also made the Fighting type seem even more overpowered, with a mid-game pokemon being planted early-game like that. I trained one of these fake Mankeys in a Nuzlocke run once, and it was OHKO's everywhere. Not that Mankey is even that powerful, but it's got a killer combination of being faster than most things, with better Attack than most things, and 100% accuracy, high damage, high crit-hit Fighting attacks from almost the get-go. Is it satisfying when your pokemon Karate Chops and Low Kicks through all comers? Yes, but also very, very easy. There is a Mankey-only run on YouTube; I am not impressed.<br /><br />Four: Mankeys are noted for their fierce, short-tempered nature. So naturally, the only Mankey anyone identifies with doesn't fit this description at all. I'm talking about the Mankey from that one episode with the Mankey. You know the one. It steals Ash's hat, imitates him, and is an inspiration to trolls everywhere.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cdn.smosh.com/sites/default/files/bloguploads/pokemon-gif-mankey.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://cdn.smosh.com/sites/default/files/bloguploads/pokemon-gif-mankey.gif" width="300" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />THIS MANKEY IS NOT CANON<br /><br />But admittedly, it is hilarious, and anything that brings attention to Ash's dopiness is fine by me. So I kind of like both flavours of Mankey. Have you read this Pokedex entry from Crystal? “It lives in groups in the treetops. If it loses sight of its group, it becomes infuriated by its loneliness.” Aw! Mankey's rough and tumble, but deep down, it's probably really sensitive. Mankey's problem is it's treated like an outsider.<br /><br />Five: Mankey, for being a monkey, is not a terribly monkey-like design. <a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.com/2011/12/48-venonat.html" target="_blank">Once again</a> I'll break out the comparison to <a href="http://lpix.org/232323/fuzzy.jpg" target="_blank">Fuzzies</a> from Mario, or maybe... this one's more obscure, but there was an enemy in Jazz Jackrabbit that was just a pair of eyeballs on a field of electricity. <a href="http://www.jazz2online.com/downloads/previewfile.php?fileID=16427" target="_blank">Looked like this.</a> That's pretty much Mankey. There's not a lot of volume to it; it's just a fuzzball with eyes and limbs, and not a particularly cute or capable-looking one.<br /><br />At least, that's what I <i>thought</i>, until I looked at some actually good Mankey illustration.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1962/mankeys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="449" src="http://img577.imageshack.us/img577/1962/mankeys.jpg" width="629" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Holy cow, this thing looks awesome! Where has this been in all the Pokemon games I've played? In the Pokemon Adventures panel, you'll notice the crazy-long arms in proportion to its body, which make sense for Mankey to have. There's also something all these pictures have in common: Mankey is in its natural habitat. It's a tree-dweller. I understand the games can't represent this at all times, but Gold and Silver could have at least put its Mankeys in Headbutt trees. Or just draw the sprite off the ground, like it's hanging from something? I mean, Geodude gets levitating sprites and that doesn't even make sense. Mankey on the ground seems limited and out of place, in comparison. Gold's sprite is the only one that looks like it could be swinging from a vine.<br /><br />Anyway, the more troubling oversight is that Mankey has been drawn with <i>less</i> detail as the years have gone by. It suffers the same fate as Persian, in that they took a design already at an ideal state of abstraction, and abstracted it some more. And now it looks bland. It's as if the sprite artists said, “There are better monkey pokemon now, I don't have to finish drawing this.” Or it's just a smoothing-down of detail on pokemon in general. All I know is: back in the Yellow days, Mankey's arms actually used to look like arms, and now they look like pipes coming out of a spiky circle.<br /><br />So I guess this is my roundabout way of saying Mankey is actually pretty cool, but its potential has been wasted. It was nice seeing detailed Mankeys again, because it lets you appreciate how unique and strange its anatomy is. It's got cat ears, bird feet, a pig nose, a prehensile tail, and arms and legs that come out of its skull. I tried to picture its skeleton, and this is what I came up with:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkMIJ_-XaIY/UCSmpXU6p1I/AAAAAAAAAg4/yIfo0v0xZ5s/s1600/mankey%2Bskeleton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="285" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jkMIJ_-XaIY/UCSmpXU6p1I/AAAAAAAAAg4/yIfo0v0xZ5s/s400/mankey%2Bskeleton.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now I'm thinking there should be more skeleton pokemon. Ghost pokemon have always been pretty morbid; why not let us train the undead? I'd totally play with Skull Monkey up there.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Yellow</b><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LKolKoe3EY/UCSnOxRsi7I/AAAAAAAAAhE/-BLwDsWqVSI/s1600/Spr_1y_056.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0LKolKoe3EY/UCSnOxRsi7I/AAAAAAAAAhE/-BLwDsWqVSI/s400/Spr_1y_056.png" width="56" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br />I like the posing on Gold, but this is the one actually drawn like a Mankey. They didn't have room for elongated arms, but making them thin and tapered is a good solution. You can pretend the arms are stretched out behind its head, and foreshortened. I also like the fur; it's got less radial symmetry and is a bit more believable.<br /><br />Prior to Yellow were Mankey's real rubber-hose days, and I kind of appreciate those too. For instance, R/B Mankey plays the very important 'M' role in this epic arrangement:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaoWV0OBBbw/UCSrsFHFaiI/AAAAAAAAAiA/xZmDOQ55Sng/s1600/halolz-dot-com-pokemon-itsfuntostayatthe-ymca.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yaoWV0OBBbw/UCSrsFHFaiI/AAAAAAAAAiA/xZmDOQ55Sng/s400/halolz-dot-com-pokemon-itsfuntostayatthe-ymca.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />And the back sprite from Gen I is completely amazing:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3rnJi4dHv5c/UCSok-H9I4I/AAAAAAAAAhg/WhTQ_UbGA9I/s1600/Spr_b_g1_056.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left;"><img border="0" height="48" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3rnJi4dHv5c/UCSok-H9I4I/AAAAAAAAAhg/WhTQ_UbGA9I/s400/Spr_b_g1_056.png" width="60" /></a></div><br /><br /><br />It is like something from the Cthulhu Mythos. Three impossible, formless tentacles extend forth from R'lyeh. Lose 2 sanity.<br /><br />pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-6714719928901057772012-07-01T23:08:00.000-04:002012-11-17T20:39:03.654-05:0055. Golduck<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2887/55golduck.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="92" src="http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2887/55golduck.png" width="735" /></a></div><br /><br />Golduck has the first pokemon design origin I ever knew. I was about six, and able to brag that Golduck was based on kappa, the reptilian river spirits in Japanese folklore. Remembering this today, it's puzzling how I made that connection so quickly. Then I saw the Pokedex entry from Red and Blue.<br /><br />“Often seen swimming elegantly by lakeshores. It is often mistaken for the Japanese monster Kappa.”<br /><br />BAM. I love it when they name drop the pokemon's real-world equivalent in the Pokedex entry. It's like a gift; it grounds Pokemon in reality and nudges you in the direction of finding out more. I wish they did it more often. “Vileplume: the Flower Pokemon. It is often mistaken for Rafflesia, the corpse-smelling parasite and world's largest flower. Yeah that's right. Look it up bitches.”<br /><br />What's more, I ALSO actually knew what a kappa was, thanks to that <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0HrGdl_bcE" target="_blank">one episode</a> of Arthur where Sue Ellen gets spooked and schools everyone on creepy world mythology. A kappa makes a memorable (and in hindsight, kinda racially insensitive) appearance and Buster tricks it into spilling its head cup by going “Look! A five dollar bill!”<br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykUbQxh1Huo/T_EMYXMag1I/AAAAAAAAAfg/Jw-L8pbybx0/s1600/kappa.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ykUbQxh1Huo/T_EMYXMag1I/AAAAAAAAAfg/Jw-L8pbybx0/s400/kappa.png" width="339" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Because the way you defeat them is getting them to bend over. Like kitsune, they're associated with nature and exhibit behaviour ranging from playful trickery to straightforward evil, committing murder and abduction and rape. That bit wasn't mentioned on Arthur though.</span><br /><br />The major way Golduck deviates from this origin is it doesn't have a head cup full of life-source water. It has the opposite of that. It has a bunch of spikes. Kappa are often depicted with a sort of lily pad on their head, which stores the water for them. Hmm... remind you of another pokemon?<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1476/lotads.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://img812.imageshack.us/img812/1476/lotads.png" width="589" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Lombre's got the resemblance especially, with the claws and sneaky expression, and pokedex entries about being mischievous and tugging on fishing lines. They all have hard kappa beaks. I like it when Game Freak is not afraid to take a design inspiration they've used already and flesh it out a little further. Not to derail this post, but what a cool evolutionary line this is. They go from lily pad/amphibian thing to lily pad/kappa/sombrero to lily pad/kappa/sombrero/poncho/pineapple/party times. I... what? What just happened?</span><br /><br />I suppose Golduck is also missing the kappa turtle shell. You take that turtle shell, claws, penchant for kidnapping women, and change the vowel in its name, and hey presto! You've got another Nintendo property.<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5yeFS-a6HU/T_EM0veMAvI/AAAAAAAAAfs/_cLbf5gd2_s/s1600/bowser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="250" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-E5yeFS-a6HU/T_EM0veMAvI/AAAAAAAAAfs/_cLbf5gd2_s/s400/bowser.jpg" width="281" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Have you seen that image of <a href="http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg294/scaled.php?server=294&amp;filename=1253736220352.jpg&amp;res=landing" target="_blank">Bowser comprising the three final starter evolutions?</a> Well, now you know the truth: Bowser's pretty much Golduck. He's like Psyduck's third evolution.</span><br /><br />Golduck doesn't need a lot of bells and whistles though. I've always looked at its sprites and seen nothing but coolness: it's angular, it's got attitude. It looks fast and stealthy and dangerous, with those webs and claws, and intelligent, with those sharp eyes. It's got a little bit of an ugly duckling narrative to it, the way it evolves from fat yellow Psyduck. Not to the extent of Ducklett/Swanna, who I feel were designed deliberately poorly and well, respectively. But it's inspiring, the way dysfunctional Psyduck ultimately becomes something worth reckoning. And so the appeal to Pokemon's target demographic is complete. One day we'll all be awesome Golducks, YOU'LL SEE.<br /><br />There is a troubling fan art trend with Golduck, however. Because of its cool looks and somewhat anthropomorphic body, it apparently holds a lot of appeal for the pseudo-furry (scaly? feathery?) crowd. And so a google search will yield a plethora of results with faces drawn like this:<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2170/golducks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" src="http://img442.imageshack.us/img442/2170/golducks.jpg" width="730" /></a></div><br /><br /><i>Dreamworks Face. Dreamworks Face everywhere</i><br /><br />Is nothing safe? Is nothing sacred? Combine this with the fact that most artists can't make a bill look good (it's difficult), and you have a <a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m6gx17X5WJ1qbkta6o3_400.jpg" target="_blank">Mighty Ducks</a> situation. It <i>shouldn't</i> make me like Golduck any less to know there are drawings like this being done, and yet... it sort of does. At least Paras will probably never be subjected to this.<br /><br />Maybe I just need a palate cleanser. <a href="http://www.toy-tma.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Golduck-Surf.png" target="_blank">Here's Gary Motherf***ing Oak riding a right proper Golduck like a surfboard.</a><br /><br />Finally, we have a return of the inexplicable forehead jewel from Persian. Not being based on a carbuncle, Golduck makes even less sense with it. And it can't even learn Power Gem! Crushed are my dreams of Golduck being able to fire laser beams out of its foreh—OH MY GOD<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mog-7jxz-2M/T_ENUTqfDGI/AAAAAAAAAf4/MsOrx6N-eJs/s1600/wm_normal_037_dark_golduck.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Mog-7jxz-2M/T_ENUTqfDGI/AAAAAAAAAf4/MsOrx6N-eJs/s400/wm_normal_037_dark_golduck.jpg" width="372" /></a></div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><br /><span style="background-color: white;">That is some Gundam Wing sh**. “Golduck: The Duck Pokemon. Its head laser has enough force to part the ocean. The ebb and flow of the earth's tides are actually caused by Golduck firing their lasers miles offshore.”</span><br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Silver</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1o0li32Pqzs/T_EN8CEEHAI/AAAAAAAAAgE/rVH79DPaI3M/s1600/Spr_2s_055.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="56" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1o0li32Pqzs/T_EN8CEEHAI/AAAAAAAAAgE/rVH79DPaI3M/s400/Spr_2s_055.png" width="56" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="background-color: white;">Most of these sprites work pretty well. FR/LG has a hunched over, lurking look to it. R/G and R/B are classics, with especially human looking eyes and especially hexagonal beaks. In general, it's probably best for Golduck's beak to be closed and its lower hinge obscured or nearly obscured; Platinum and HG/SS probably do the least for me. Again, I may just be scarred by the Mighty Ducks.</span><br /><br />Yes, Silver's bill is fat and shaped like a shovel. But in a way it looks... tougher? And the whole sprite has a nice sense of movement to it, a better line of action than the others. And of course, I appreciate the high contrast lighting for a sense of depth. Check out the brow over Golduck's left eye. That's four pixels of highlight, in a Tetris block shape. Yet they do their job perfectly.<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCIlWtyfRJY/T_EOYnrKPWI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/KSJynvW95O0/s1600/Spr_2s_055.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="94" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aCIlWtyfRJY/T_EOYnrKPWI/AAAAAAAAAgQ/KSJynvW95O0/s400/Spr_2s_055.png" width="94" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Now that is how you draw a Golduck head.pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-64201447901776900732012-04-30T18:44:00.026-04:002012-04-30T21:33:44.262-04:0054. Psyduck<a href="http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8729/54psyduck.png"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img152.imageshack.us/img152/8729/54psyduck.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 78px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 735px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;"></span><br /><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">I read a great thought about Pokemon once, via the Wikipedia article for Snorlax (slightly off-topic, I know): in the book </span><i style="font-size: 100%;">Media and the Make-Believe Worlds of Children: When Harry Potter Meets Pokemon in Disneyland</i><span style="font-size: 100%;">, it is mentioned that children can relate to Snorlax as a character because he embodies their vices (sleeping, eating, being fat), but also embodies more positive aspects of themselves (bravery, strength). We can also extend this principle to young adults, because let's face it: no one sleeps and eats better than us. Anyway, Psyduck belongs to a similar class of pokemon.</span><br /><div><br />Psyduck is great because he's ineffective, silly, and in constant suffering. And <a href="http://media.giantbomb.com/uploads/9/93332/1375911-psyduck.jpg" target="_blank">chubby</a> to boot! A true reflection of ourselves. Anyone who has ever suffered from headaches, depression, anxiety, or any uncontrollable neurological problem, can sympathise with Psyduck. The buggy eyes, the useless body, the state of duress, and he still manages to be cute. I think my favourite Psyduck moment is on Route 210 in Sinnoh, when they make one of those contrived videogame roadblocks... out of Psyduck. They are so afflicted, they must gather in narrow passages just to sit in mutual pain. Then refuse to disperse until you bring them some of Cynthia's “special medicine.”<br /><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g7yVE7X-8GY/T58xq1KI0PI/AAAAAAAAAc0/LSt1Ad3p2s8/s1600/CDxOrluTlfr.jpeg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737359062187167986" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-g7yVE7X-8GY/T58xq1KI0PI/AAAAAAAAAc0/LSt1Ad3p2s8/s400/CDxOrluTlfr.jpeg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 225px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 295px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I won't say Psyduck has our better qualities, because the most positive feelings towards it are usually something mixed with pity. But it's still popular enough to make it into every regional Pokedex until Black and White, and have a bunch of Something Awful smilies. And just recently, timely enough, Psyduck was among the earlier-gen pokemon confirmed to be returning for Black 2 and White 2.</div><div><br /><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGk2rC0tYko/T58w2C1ZYoI/AAAAAAAAAco/Wh8457TtSUo/s1600/pokemonblackandwhite2-monsters.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737358155325203074" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xGk2rC0tYko/T58w2C1ZYoI/AAAAAAAAAco/Wh8457TtSUo/s400/pokemonblackandwhite2-monsters.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 200px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 391px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This makes it the first known pokemon found in every single region.<br /><br />And yet, no one is complaining. Other pokemon fixtures<span style="color: #00000a; font-size: 100%; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">—</span> Geodude, Zubat, Machop, Tentacool<span style="color: #00000a; font-size: 100%; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">—</span> draw substantial ire, but are you ever displeased to encounter a Psyduck? Probably not, and it's probably because they usually don't turn up until late game, when you're surfing or fishing, and even then at reasonable ratios. In Red and Blue they only appear in four places, apart from the Safari Zone; in Yellow only one; in the remakes and Japanese originals they're exclusive to (Fire)Red. So when Platinum makes them an early-game cave pokemon, almost supplanting Geodude in the Ravaged Path and Oreburgh Gate, it's <i>amazing</i>. It's like a breath of fresh air, and the first time I enthusiastically trained a Psyduck from the beginning. With good Special, it's a Water Gun / Confusion powerhouse around then. At least until you hit level 20 and realise you still have 13 to go until Golduck, since pokemon evolution levels are pretty much determined by where in the game they appear in the originals.<br /><br />Since it's underused in the games, the anime probably takes a lot of credit for Psyduck's popularity. Personally, I found the “pop out of pokeball at inappropriate moments” comic relief gag to get pretty old. But it did add an element of neglect and abuse to Psyduck's pity case, since Misty treats hers like garbage. In what's probably Psyduck's best episode, <i>The Ninja-Poke Showdown</i> (Venonat's debut!) she wants to trade it to Brock. Then later on, in a whacked-out ninja room, its headache gets so bad that it finally unleashes its telekinetic Neo Matrix powers.<br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqwhTFyoT3E/T58vhL911KI/AAAAAAAAAcc/kePv2beSUbo/s1600/Misty_Psyduck_Disable.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737356697487660194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qqwhTFyoT3E/T58vhL911KI/AAAAAAAAAcc/kePv2beSUbo/s400/Misty_Psyduck_Disable.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 250px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 333px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently Confusion and Disable let Psyduck control all elements of the physical world around it. It's like Professor X.<br /><br />I'm not sure where they got the idea for Psyduck to have latent psychic mastery. Its Pokedex entries are pretty intense: From Red and Blue, “While lulling its enemies with its vacant look, this wily Pokémon will use psychokinetic powers.” From Ruby, “When it does so, this Pokémon generates brain waves that are supposedly only seen in sleepers. This discovery spurred controversy among scholars.” From Platinum, “Overwhelmed by enigmatic abilities, it suffers a constant headache.” Dang Psyduck, you got it bad. There isn't really a clear precedent, or pun, or mythos that would lead one to conceive of a water-type duckling as a deceitful, tormented, mysterious psychic. But it sure makes <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/thumb/4/4b/580Ducklett.png/200px-580Ducklett.png" target="_blank">Ducklett</a> look boring.<br /><br />The rest of Psyduck draws nicely from the platypus, everyone's favourite venomous duck-beaver hybrid and original hoax pokemon. It's so obvious, I don't know how I never noticed before. It's still got plenty of duck, what with the yellow rubber ducky colour, feather tuft, and short non-beaver tail. But the bill shape and claws are almost exactly platypus.<br /><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ElX4paGjScw/T58pzwgOHUI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Q6e_B_ppqWE/s1600/Psyduck_Real____Real_Psyduck_by_AxelPows.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737350419463413058" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ElX4paGjScw/T58pzwgOHUI/AAAAAAAAAcM/Q6e_B_ppqWE/s400/Psyduck_Real____Real_Psyduck_by_AxelPows.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 225px; margin: 0 5px 0px 0; width: 309px;" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lYTCSdVYtDE/T58psNlpg4I/AAAAAAAAAcA/HvL3v_1-dZ8/s1600/platypusR_468x318.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737350289831854978" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lYTCSdVYtDE/T58psNlpg4I/AAAAAAAAAcA/HvL3v_1-dZ8/s400/platypusR_468x318.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 225px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 309px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Aw.<br /><br />I can't reconcile psychic abilities with platypodes either, other than their general weirdness. But I think it speaks to good creative design, that they've made a pokemon so defiant of explanation. Part duck, part platypus, part random inspiration. Or maybe the whole hidden power business is just another way to make it relatable to the youth demographic. We all think we're unappreciated geniuses.<br /><br />Psyduck's sprites are all so great, I'm going to break some of them down individually. It will be an adventure in bad formatting.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-gQIsXQjY0/T58cfY_RYJI/AAAAAAAAAaM/0mQM8Mih3kE/s1600/Spr_1g_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737335775902654610" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-D-gQIsXQjY0/T58cfY_RYJI/AAAAAAAAAaM/0mQM8Mih3kE/s400/Spr_1g_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 41px;" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This one is easily the most 3-dimensional Psyduck, and uncommonly good for a R/G sprite. It's like a balloon.</div><div><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-O_AsasZPc/T58dSkEjvWI/AAAAAAAAAa8/-uUrQU3hq3o/s1600/Spr_5b_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737336655050947938" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-C-O_AsasZPc/T58dSkEjvWI/AAAAAAAAAa8/-uUrQU3hq3o/s400/Spr_5b_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 47px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 37px;" /></a><div><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Compare that to this one, with its lazy stomach shading. Nice triangle, there.</span><u><br /></u><div><br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TB-b7GMGnB8/T58ctMrW0GI/AAAAAAAAAak/iHGT6zp-G8c/s1600/Spr_2s_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737336013116067938" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-TB-b7GMGnB8/T58ctMrW0GI/AAAAAAAAAak/iHGT6zp-G8c/s400/Spr_2s_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 42px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 41px;" /></a></div><div>I like how this one has one hand on its head, and one on its nose. It's so confused, like “Where's my headache? Is it in my nose? Is it in a china hutch? In a graveyard?”<br /><br />It's like: “<i>Is my headache in a graveyard?</i>”<br /><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJk8UX0DvR8/T58clRBzowI/AAAAAAAAAaY/Zzt-4nk8Yp0/s1600/Spr_1y_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737335876845019906" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qJk8UX0DvR8/T58clRBzowI/AAAAAAAAAaY/Zzt-4nk8Yp0/s400/Spr_1y_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 41px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 38px;" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This one reminds me of <a href="http://www.nickcanada.com/img/show/small_rocko.jpg" target="_blank">Rocko Wallaby</a> for some reason. Or maybe Filburt.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mmNxK6-8ukU/T58eP8KT4cI/AAAAAAAAAbI/0HZ6Z_E4wtE/s1600/Spr_3r_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737337709489545666" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-mmNxK6-8ukU/T58eP8KT4cI/AAAAAAAAAbI/0HZ6Z_E4wtE/s400/Spr_3r_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 49px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 37px;" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwGhmSIr7uI/T58m4e6lDPI/AAAAAAAAAbw/za_MUf2CwCg/s1600/Spr_4h_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737347202106592498" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-wwGhmSIr7uI/T58m4e6lDPI/AAAAAAAAAbw/za_MUf2CwCg/s400/Spr_4h_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 48px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 35px;" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>These two are in so much pain they're picking up their feet and stomping them, or maybe dancing.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3pLfKma0G08/T58dMQBUEpI/AAAAAAAAAaw/yrgoUbSvQmY/s1600/Spr_4p_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737336546589414034" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3pLfKma0G08/T58dMQBUEpI/AAAAAAAAAaw/yrgoUbSvQmY/s400/Spr_4p_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 52px; margin: 0 5px 5px 0; width: 37px;" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This Psyduck is just so <i>over</i> headaches, he rolls his eyes at us.<br /><br /><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lX7hnTavGk/T58e9ctgZDI/AAAAAAAAAbg/AJdgi2btx7I/s1600/0054Back_m.gif"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737338491321214002" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--lX7hnTavGk/T58e9ctgZDI/AAAAAAAAAbg/AJdgi2btx7I/s400/0054Back_m.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 59px; margin: 0 5px 0px 0; width: 57px;" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>This is the back sprite from Platinum, the first game to have entry animations for back sprites. Aww, he rubs his head all over! Aww, he's in so much pain<br /><br />I'm especially impressed that every sprite kept at least one hand on Psyduck's head, for its <a href="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/131/131/tumblr_ldpqruj7Wq1qejzi9o1_500.jpg" target="_blank">trademark</a> “my brain is full of fuck” position. I wish one of them had used the asymmetrical expression from <a href="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/ken_sugimori/original/054.png" target="_blank">Sugimori's hilarious artwork</a>, but you can't have everything.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Red and Blue</b><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--DfFLP9_FtI/T58bofAkt4I/AAAAAAAAAaA/nMBKVMb4Kg0/s1600/Spr_1b_054.png"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5737334832625923970" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--DfFLP9_FtI/T58bofAkt4I/AAAAAAAAAaA/nMBKVMb4Kg0/s400/Spr_1b_054.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 56px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 56px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-size: 100%;">Admittedly, I'm going with this for its sheer insanity. It's probably not the best sprite. But it transcends the realm of Pokemon art and enters the avant garde. It looks like it belongs on some unsettling underground mural. Its eyes, even pointed downward, will follow you around the room.</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-24206192100161296272012-04-23T12:57:00.009-04:002012-08-10T03:16:32.594-04:0053. Persian<a href="http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8251/53persian.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 735px; height: 96px;" src="http://img19.imageshack.us/img19/8251/53persian.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Time has not been kind to Persian. It used to be imposing, elegant, predatory—a worthy evolution to Meowth, a mountain lion with refinement. Then the next four generations happened. And now it is a cartoon. It's got that person-colour and uniform texture you normally see in like, cheap cat costumes. After Meowth, it seems to have few ideas worked into it, and anticipating pokemon like Liepard, it just looks plain. I think </span><a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20100118174559/calvin-hobbes/images/2/2a/Hobbes-calvin.gif" target="_blank" style="font-size: 100%; ">Hobbes</a><span style="font-size: 100%; "> probably has more design elements of note.</span><br /><div><br />Not that Persian has to be Complicated Carl. But check its first two GameBoy sprites: aren't they slick? Note the scary-looking claws, the sharply angled eyes and ears, the Siamese colouration on the legs and tail. Now there was a fierce cat. These days they've rounded off everything, so it looks like a Disney character. Even Ken Sugimori is guilty of toning things down a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/ken_sugimori/original/053.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 230px; height: 230px;" src="http://pldh.net/media/pokemon/ken_sugimori/original/053.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWqdSp8nJuo/T5WUN2fIJQI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/kNZLiRiq8gw/s1600/053Persian.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 260px; height: 230px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eWqdSp8nJuo/T5WUN2fIJQI/AAAAAAAAAZ0/kNZLiRiq8gw/s400/053Persian.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5734652666211476738" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Come back to me Ken! Sure his Persian is a bit more anatomical now, but at the cost of its whiskers, attitude, and cool, distinctive eyes.<br /><br />Not that anyone cares, because no one plays Persian anymore, if they ever did. It's got a 440 in base stats, and most of that is speed. They could have bumped up its Sp. Defense after the Gen II Special split, given that it's so special and fancy, but they did not. It loses Meowth's Pickup ability upon evolution, which isn't until lv28. It almost exclusively learns Normal and Dark attacks. In Gen I, its entire learn set consisted of Fury Swipes (lv37) and Slash (lv 51). My, were those different times.<br /><br />Persian also never appeared in the wild during the main quest of Pokemon games. The only time I can remember a trainer battling with one is Geovanni in Yellow. It just seems conspicuously absent from the entire franchise. Any worse and it would be a Chatot-level, gimmicky bit of world-building designed only so the anime could parody that James Bond villain for the bazillionth time in pop culture.<br /><br />I have a bone to pick with its name too. It's pretty clearly based on Siamese cats, not Persian ones. Here's the two breeds, for the sake of <s>cat pictures on my blog</s> comparison:</div><div><br /><a href="http://www.persian-catsclub.com/images/persian-cat.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 230px;" src="http://www.persian-catsclub.com/images/persian-cat.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> <a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/cats/1/0/s/J/3/Shadow600x516.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 268px; height: 230px;" src="http://0.tqn.com/d/cats/1/0/s/J/3/Shadow600x516.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>They know it too, since its species name is “Siamese cat” in Japanese. I'm guessing they were going for the “purr” pun without spelling it, which wouldn't fly in today's Pokemon. Obviously every cat pokemon needs “purr” or “meow” in its English name—Purrloin, Purugly, Glameow, Meowth. Otherwise we wouldn't notice that they're cats. Come on, Nintendo localisers, work on your puns. Throw a “feline” or “gato” in there, something. I'm waiting for them to introduce a super fuzzy, actual Persian cat pokemon and name it Siameowse just to balance things out.<br /><br />Incidentally, I get Persian (Pokemon) as the 4th result for a Google search of the word “Persian.” That's <i>amazing</i>. Persia had an empire for over 200 years and comprised 44% of the world's population, and it's still neck and neck in Google hits with an underused pokemon. Take that, Xerxes?<br /><br />But Bulbapedia has more to say about its Siamese cat origin. They also liken it to the “Carbuncle, a Latin-American mythological beast which had a jewel on its forehead.” Woah, Carbuncle? The obscure bit of folklore mostly mentioned by Jorge Luis Borges? The one that reads emotions and shoots beams of light, and its facial bling is really valuable but you can't get it unless you have <a href="http://www.mythicalcreatureslist.com/mythical-creature/Carbuncle" target="_blank">no desire for wealth in your heart</a> or whatever. That Carbuncle? Not the skin infection, gemstone, or Final Fantasy summon Carbuncle. I'm kind of impressed. Bulbapedia's editors must really be up on their myths to make that connectio— oh.</div><div><br /><a href="http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/7/78/CrystalBeastRubyCarbuncleFOTB-EN-C.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 224px; height: 325px;" src="http://images.wikia.com/yugioh/images/7/78/CrystalBeastRubyCarbuncleFOTB-EN-C.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Well apparently it is also a hot Yu-gi-oh property. What makes this card hilarious is not only how it resembles an Eeveelution (though it predates Espeon, at least), but also how “Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle” sounds like something you would make up if you wanted to make fun of Yu-gi-oh names.<br /><br />The Carbuncle thing does make sense, though. I always thought Persian's jewel was just supposed to be like, a bindi. Something to tie Persian into the middle east / south Asian vibe given by its name. But I do not think people adorn their Siamese cats with bindis, at least not to my extensive knowledge from watching Sagwa: The Chinese Siamese Cat. Mostly it just served the purpose of letting me imagine Persian could shoot laser beams out of its head, along with Golduck, Tentac(rue)ool, and Slowking. Sadly, Persian was never shown demonstrating this power, but don't laugh; that's essentially the purpose of the move Power Gem now, so someone at Game Freak was thinking my way.<br /><br />I guess taking a cue from mythology and replacing Meowth's kabon with a gemstone actually was pretty clever design at the time. I still don't like how they've handled Persian ever since though.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Yellow</b><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gTuTVBxCSHs/T5WQfMB_25I/AAAAAAAAAZo/GMnbDXCf0fc/s1600/Spr_1y_053.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 56px; height: 56px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-gTuTVBxCSHs/T5WQfMB_25I/AAAAAAAAAZo/GMnbDXCf0fc/s400/Spr_1y_053.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5734648566006143890" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Yellow produces some fun sprites. With the last games coming on the same hardware, but years in between to develop the universe, some Yellow pokemon sprites really had style worked into them (see also: Blastoise). This one keeps the claws and mostly angular look of the original sprites, but with a better gemstone, overall detail, and that great pose, the likes of which we never see in Pokemon games anymore. Just an awesome sprite.<br /><br />It also doesn't hurt that this Persian is ingrained in my head from its appearance in Geovanni's teams in Yellow. It's one of the few attempts to make Persian look cool, combined with the only attempt to make Persian relevant.</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-18287147264369050512012-04-15T10:56:00.012-04:002012-04-15T12:03:05.740-04:0052. Meowth<a href="http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6076/52meowth.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 730px; height: 75px;" src="http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6076/52meowth.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 100%; "><br /></span><div><span style="font-size: 100%; ">Meowth might just be my </span><a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.ca/2010/10/27-sandshrew.html" target="_blank" style="font-size: 100%; ">favourite</a><span style="font-size: 100%; "> </span><a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.ca/2011/09/46-paras.html" target="_blank" style="font-size: 100%; ">pokemon</a><span style="font-size: 100%; ">. It never used to be, but in writing this entry I have been converted. Meowth is one of the things that makes Pokemon great. Its design doesn't blow you away at first; it's a cat with a koban on its head, fine. They drew inspiration from Satoshi Tajiri's pet cat, cute. But </span><i style="font-size: 100%; ">we need to go deeper</i><span style="font-size: 100%; ">.</span><br /><div><br />Most of Meowth's elements come from Maneki Neko, the beckoning cat, a sculpture common in Japan and China and intended to bring good luck to places of business. The legend goes that a dude is trying to stay dry under a tree, and a beckoning temple cat saves him from being struck by lightening. Then the guy turns out to be loaded and makes the temple owners rich in return? There are other stories too, about cats whose heads fly off to kill deadly snakes, and cats who appear in dreams and demand statues be made of them, but they all end in luck and money. Cat statues will make you so paid, is what they are trying to get across.<br /><br />Maneki Neko always have one or both paws raised to show that beckoning gesture. Observe Meowth's original GameBoy sprites. Paws raised CHECK. This even carries over to the anime: “Meowth that's right!” tends to put Meowth in pretty classic Maneki Neko poses. There's also the Team Rocket balloon. The Meowth likeness would be just as clear if it were his head only, but did they stop there? Nope, they worked in the paw too.</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ewZV3N2lO0/T4ruaJV9eaI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/auWt3jxuo3s/s1600/teamrocketballoondp035.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0ewZV3N2lO0/T4ruaJV9eaI/AAAAAAAAAZQ/auWt3jxuo3s/s400/teamrocketballoondp035.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731655608734415266" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Fun fact: “beckoning” paws face outward because apparently waving is the “come here” gesture in Japan, instead of “go away.” Doesn't it make more sense to bring your fingers towards yourself to beckon someone? Whatever. If you're curious about Meowth's breed, by the way, Maneki Neko are supposed to be based on the Japanese Bobtail. Meowth's tail is a bit long for that, but it does have a bob on the end? Sort of?<br /><br />The kabon placement on Meowth's forehead is a reference to “a Japanese myth dealing with the true value of money, in which a cat has money on its head but does not realize it.” I'm actually having trouble finding confirmation of that, but Meowth's Wikipedia page said it so it must be true. At any rate, Maneki Neko are often shown with kabon too, or have coins stored in their forehead piggy-bank style, or coins placed around them for luck, similar to tossing coins in a fountain. COINS. Do you get the association with coins yet?<br /><br />I like how there was an episode in the anime ("A Chansey Operation") where he appears to lose his koban, answering all our unspoken questions about whether that thing comes off, or what? But then it turns out it was just jammed into his head. Hmm.</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6l-TgxEVSw/T4rurSwGiSI/AAAAAAAAAZc/XW6ZjHNiY-k/s1600/Meowth_without_charm.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 200px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6l-TgxEVSw/T4rurSwGiSI/AAAAAAAAAZc/XW6ZjHNiY-k/s400/Meowth_without_charm.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731655903317756194" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The coolest thing about in-game Meowth is Pay Day, which is still Meowth-exclusive by level up (in Gen I it was a TM, and can now be bred onto Purrloin). It may strike you as a bit nonsensical, given its ability to apparently <a href="http://fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/167/0/f/Meowth_used_Global_Inflation_by_Ticketmeister.jpg" target="_blank">make unlimited money out of thin air</a>. But it's based off a common expression: in Japan the move is called Neko ni Kabon, “coin for a cat,” a phrase like “<a href="http://pokestation.net/dex/art/326.png" target="_blank">pearls before swine</a>” which implies that cats have no use for money. Ironic, given that people want to throw money all over them. I wish they would translate moves with Japanese meanings like that directly, but I guess it ran over the character limit. Aerial Ace/Swallow Cut, you still have no excuse.<br /><br />In Generation I, Pay Day is the only way you can keep making money after you've sold all the game's items and beaten all its trainers. Combine that with Meowth getting Pickup as an ability in Gen III (my all-time favourite ability), and I defy you to call Meowth a useless pokemon. It's the pokemon most deliberately created to be scoring you swag, at all times.<br /><br />So basically, Meowth's design is a composite of about three different bits of folklore regarding cats. That's not too shabby for looking at a friend's cat and thinking “Let's make this a pokemon.” If a Western franchise made a cat character, it would have to incorporate lolcats, Egyptian cat worship, and maybe unlucky black cats just to match that creative sourcing.<br /><br />Meowth's character in the anime is one of the things it really gets right. With Ash and Pikachu, the anime sort of suffers, like many franchises, from Harry Potter/Tidus/Naruto syndrome, in which the supporting characters are all more interesting than the main characters. The show is never better than when it's spotlighting Meowth. Unfortunately my anime literacy is spotty, so I can't point you to all that many instances of Meowth greatness. But I remember Maddie Blaustein's uncommonly good dub work. I remember there were lots of puns in the show, and that Meowth was particularly good at dispensing them. So many cat puns. Later on there were the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgXmlhcajC0" target="_blank">boss fantasies</a>, which supplied some of the most WTF imagery in the show's run, from <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lh3x6mb2FQ1qh3fbdo1_500.jpg" target="_blank">Geovanni riding Deoxys to space</a>, to <a href="http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/4264/87197554.jpg" target="_blank">Geovanni in a speedo being slathered in oil and humped in a heap of bug pokemon</a>, to Geovanni generally getting naked a lot.<br /><br />We get glimpses of what the show would be like if it revolved around Meowth; I recommend the episodes “Meowth Rules!” (Meowth discovers a Meowth cult and gets fed by catgirls) and especially “Go West, Young Meowth!” (Meowth's heart-wrenching origin story, possibly the series' most meta and tightly-written episode). He just has this knack for poignant moments, like when he <a href="http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u31/annasartin/Team%20Rocket/Meowth-Guitar.png" target="_blank">pulls out his guitar like a feline K.K. Slider</a>, or when he <a href="http://fypblog.com/post/20019108577/feelings" target="_blank">confronts his clone</a> in Mewtwo Strikes Back.</div><div><br /><a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0g1oeZzFC1qbphcgo8_250.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 183px;" src="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m0g1oeZzFC1qbphcgo8_250.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>But Meowth isn't just about emotional depth. He can also bring the party, as with the infamous Gamecube tech demo, totally-should-have-been-a-game, Meowth's Party. It's an 80 second surrealist masterpiece.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/D7Lwsha9qac" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />Paper-thin Jesse and James rock through space. Meowth walks across the wall and ceiling of a stark white, infinite chamber. The 3D models from the N64's Pokemon Stadium rave in worship. It ends with Meowth's giant disembodied head.<br /><br />As if that didn't solidify Meowth's party god status enough, there was then the Pikachu short “Gotta Dance!” in which Meowth invents a baton that forces pokemon to dance against their will, a pre-NPH Music Meister.<br /><br /><iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nWcCBS4m_zU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />Clearly this is the best possible use for Pokemon intellectual property. If you ever looked at pokemon like Cacnea and Mudkip and thought, “What I would really like is to see those two get down,” then <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dFe-cYfd6k" target="_blank">this is the film for you</a>.<br /><br />But can we reconcile Meowth's videogame and anime selves? I like how, canonically, Meowth in the anime can't use Pay Day because his last move slot was spent learning how to speak like a human. So that's why your pokemon can't talk to you in the games, people: it would mean you could only teach them three moves. Also, Bulbapedia likes to point out that Meowth having to learn to walk upright is inaccurate since common Meowths are shown on their hind legs in the games. This wasn't really true until Pokemon Yellow, though. Going back to <a href="http://media.animevice.com/uploads/0/3695/310838-meowth_large.jpg" target="_blank">Sugimori's original artwork</a>, Meowth is always on his haunches. It would appear then, that the anime's characterization of this individual Meowth has influenced all Meowths in subsequent pokemon games. In this case, I don't think that's a bad thing.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Diamond and Pearl</b><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dRUxjwXFMEM/T4rqNcIJ11I/AAAAAAAAAZE/vFxP9V-vMSY/s1600/Spr_4d_052.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dRUxjwXFMEM/T4rqNcIJ11I/AAAAAAAAAZE/vFxP9V-vMSY/s400/Spr_4d_052.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731650992391968594" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I like all Meowth's sprites from Green through Gold. R/B is an almost exact pixel-trace of that old Sugimori artwork, which is the first time I have noticed that in a GameBoy sprite. R/B, Y, and D/P all show a lot of character; I think D/P is the most fit to fight.<br /><br />The sequence after D/P shows everything missing from sprites these days. First they're like, "Mouth open? Too lively. Better close that up." Then draw back the limbs so it stands all boring. NOW they've got a base they can do choppy animations with.</div></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-77519357395833723802012-02-16T20:53:00.000-05:002012-11-17T21:19:59.053-05:0051. Dugtrio<a href="http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/7152/51dugtrio.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 637px; height: 87px;" src="http://img846.imageshack.us/img846/7152/51dugtrio.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><span style="font-size: 100%; ">When you have created a pokemon design like Diglett—simple, efficient, modernist—and are asked to create the evolved form for that pokemon, what do you do? You don't want to mess up the qualities the base form had going for it. So, if you are Game Freak, you take three of that pokemon and </span><a href="http://chzpokememes.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/pokmon-diglett-wednesday-evolution.png" target="_blank" style="font-size: 100%; ">glue them together</a><span style="font-size: 100%; ">. Apparently.</span></div><div><br />Dugtrio is the first in just such a trend. Magneton has the same thing going on. Weezing has it imperfectly, and so does that gear thing from Gen V. There are so many pokemon with three heads, they made a <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Tri_Attack_(move)" target="_blank">special attack</a> just for pokemon with three heads. It doesn't intuitively make sense, either: do these pokemon evolve by reaching level x, or by joining up with two of their ilk? Can the joining only happen at level x? Why does this constitute a new species? The magic number is always three, too; four is too many, and two is too few. Obviously you can't just keep adding Digletts to make Dugtrio stronger. They don't swing that way.<br /><br />The Pokedex doesn't really help matters. "Dugtrio are actually triplets that emerged from one body," Ruby and Sapphire tell us. "As a result, each triplet thinks exactly like the other two triplets." "Because the triplets originally split from one body, they think exactly alike," Emerald adds. Okay, wait. By "thinking exactly alike," do you mean, they like the same movies? They dress in the same clothes and pull ingenious pranks on their parents? And by "emerged from one body," you must mean from one fertilized egg, in the womb; that is how triplets usually work. Unless a fully-grown Diglett at level 26 splits into three separate Digletts, like a flatworm. Except they're still psychically connected. And maybe physically connected too, for all we know. <a href="http://files.sharenator.com/03ae38_3293689-s1024x576-313005.jpg" target="_blank">Sounds legit.</a><br /><br />There are real-life organisms that work this way; clonal colonies are what happens when plants and fungi grow multiple, genetically identical individuals by vegetation (asexually), sharing a root or hypha system. One of my favourite Real Things on earth is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pando_(tree)" target="_blank">Pando</a>, which is a colony of Quaking Aspens in Utah. It is the heaviest known organism, at around 6 million kg, and covers over 100 acres. It is 80,000 years old. Its name means "I spread." If it could get up and walk around it would kill all of us.</div><div><br /><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/AspenOverview0172.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/AspenOverview0172.JPG" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There are also probably bigger colonies elsewhere that just haven't been studied yet. Anyway, this comes to mind with all the speculation of Diglett and Dugtrio's underground parts. And leads to my absolute favourite speculation, courtesy of <a href="http://www.burntheinternet.com/2009/02/how-diglett-works.html" target="_blank">Burn the Internet</a>:<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gHO9tVgrK1o/SZQy32YlFzI/AAAAAAAAAzs/uwj4sOTpbPw/s1600/diglettcore.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 300px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_gHO9tVgrK1o/SZQy32YlFzI/AAAAAAAAAzs/uwj4sOTpbPw/s1600/diglettcore.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Yes. I applaud this person for finding Diglett and Dugtrio's logical extreme. You can't go deeper than that.<br /><br />What more likely inspired Diglett and Dugtrio is whack-a-mole, their resemblance to which is exploited in everything from <a href="http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTn_CjRPnLFSN_egaQ2KkhPP998ALc871MxZggVWFnvNKfANQd8wA--8yhpBw" target="_blank">Pokemon Pinball</a> to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYVnwu-wVQQ" target="_blank">Pokemon Stadium minigames</a>. Looking at Dugtrio's arrangement, though, it's always struck me as intentionally reminiscent of a certain Nintendo property. Bear with me as I code-switch into another fandom, with which you might not be familiar.</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LzUwa4Y6iYk/T14V3OnjDYI/AAAAAAAAAYU/gz6hW86P9ZQ/s1600/mario1.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-LzUwa4Y6iYk/T14V3OnjDYI/AAAAAAAAAYU/gz6hW86P9ZQ/s400/mario1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719032615368068482" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DMeNboFYE8/T14VdXM7oNI/AAAAAAAAAYI/RgnqRRRsX0Y/s1600/mario2.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/--DMeNboFYE8/T14VdXM7oNI/AAAAAAAAAYI/RgnqRRRsX0Y/s400/mario2.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719032170995753170" /></a><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QorggfacfOw/T14U1VJGCXI/AAAAAAAAAX8/EYFVGo13Mic/s1600/mario3.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 245px; height: 213px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QorggfacfOw/T14U1VJGCXI/AAAAAAAAAX8/EYFVGo13Mic/s400/mario3.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719031483248019826" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Really, the resemblance is uncanny. Look at Dugtrio's Red and Green sprite and tell me that isn't inter-franchise visual reference. The weird thing is, I've never known what those hills were supposed to be. They have no name in Mario canon. I guess a background designer back in the day just drew some oddly silo-shaped hills together and threw some eyes on them for fun. And now you can draw something similar and people will immediately say, "Those are the Mario hills." Or, "That's Dugtrio." Not a bad legacy. I'm not sure what the implications are for land forms to have sentience, but it's... cute?<br /><br />Of course, Dugtrio's resemblance to these hills causes some problems for my <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_E367faWAPg/Tqj3tWANR7I/AAAAAAAAAqg/lZnRJymrO2c/s1600/The_Diglet__s_Feet_by_Knickolaus.png" target="_blank">previous favourite</a> "simple" theory. Pay special attention to the head at the back: that thing has to be crazy tall! It can be nothing less than an oarfish snake monster emerging from the ground, to be able to peer above the two heads in front. You can see this directly in its Black and White back sprite, and its stubborn insistence on anatomical consistency:<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSmWzc6Cv-k/T14XbxnJ5kI/AAAAAAAAAYg/ZBDaTmW3MOA/s1600/Spr_b_5b_051.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 74px; height: 66px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hSmWzc6Cv-k/T14XbxnJ5kI/AAAAAAAAAYg/ZBDaTmW3MOA/s400/Spr_b_5b_051.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719034342748579394" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Hah! Bet you wish everything didn't have to be plausible in 3D space <i>now</i>, eh Black and White?<br /><br />Some sprites try to lessen the weirdness by having Dugtrio's heads angled away from each other, so they look less rigid and architectural. Red and Blue Dugtrio takes up bowling pin formation. FR/LG and HG/SS look like they actually are sprouting from the same underbody, emerging through a too-small hole. I'm not a fan of this; if Dugtrio is indeed separate triplets I see no reason why they shouldn't make enough space for themselves to stand up straight. None of them are as silly as this card illustration though, which, given all the Dugtrio Underground images showing three buff dudes being rather intimate with each other, has to make you laugh:</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgx0bkShVEo/T14XogVzgSI/AAAAAAAAAYs/6qDZJ0GGxOU/s1600/5-dugtrio.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 200px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgx0bkShVEo/T14XogVzgSI/AAAAAAAAAYs/6qDZJ0GGxOU/s400/5-dugtrio.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719034561450705186" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I mean, the sweat and everything. Good grief. It's a Diglett accordion.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Yellow</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ClO9x-f09pM/T14X5VoGV6I/AAAAAAAAAY4/QRpwEMc_atQ/s1600/Spr_1y_051.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 56px; height: 56px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ClO9x-f09pM/T14X5VoGV6I/AAAAAAAAAY4/QRpwEMc_atQ/s400/Spr_1y_051.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5719034850632423330" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>We see a variety of approaches in these sprites at giving Dugtrio emotional character. Most of them looked pissed, having evolved angry eyebrows I guess. Gold, Silver, and their remakes retain Diglett's mellowed out vibe. D/P breaks the rules, to its benefit I think, by giving its heads different personalities: the tall one looks distracted and neutral. I guess they don't all think exactly alike after all. That sprite is my second favourite.<br /><br />Yellow is great for the following reasons: 1) it's not afraid to give you some overhead perspective, rather than looking at Dugtrio straight on. 2) It's easily the most menacing Dugtrio, especially the lowermost head, which looks positively sinister. The shading helps. 3) This was back in Gen I, when Dugtrios were allowed to be noticeably thicker than they were as Digletts. Just compare Yellow's waifish Diglett thumb to these plump thugs. It helps get across that you've got something stronger, and not just more numerous. Three reasons! Ah ah ah</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-63185604387187882572012-02-14T22:20:00.032-05:002012-11-17T21:23:06.781-05:0050. Diglett<a href="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1979/50diglett.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 545px; height: 70px;" src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/1979/50diglett.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />I thought the Diglett Underground meme was sufficiently played out—elderly, in internet years—to only mention it in passing. But then JUST THE OTHER DAY Kotaku made a post out of <a href="http://kotaku.com/5883789/turns-out-pokemons-diglett-is-a-cthuloid-hell+monster" target="_blank">this picture from 2008</a>, and goodness, they get <i>paid</i> to be on top of these things. So yes, Pokemon fans: our own little Diglett is an internet meme now, with its own <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/diglett-underground" target="_blank">knowyourmeme page</a> and everything.<br /><br />What I really like about the mystery of Diglett's body is it's not just a fandom thing; the games point it out pretty explicitly! For instance, there's the Pokemon Stadium pokedex entry: “Its head pokes up approximately eight inches out of the ground. However, <i>its real size remains a mystery to this day</i>.” Apparently it manages to stump all manner of sonar, radar, and seismic equipment. And no one has ever caught one and put it in a glass terrarium. If there is a real-world equivalent for Diglett, it's deep sea creatures that cannot be measured, because they live at unfathomable depths, and only appear to us as ghostly bloated carcasses that turn up in the nets of fisherman and the nightmares of under-funded biologists, for their bodies are held together only by water pressure, and spite. I also like the Gold Pokedex entry: “Its skin is very thin. If it is exposed to light, its blood heats up, causing it to grow weak.” Aww, Diglett. It's the shut-in pokemon.<br /><br />Then it got <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/8/81/Diggletsfeet.gif" target="_blank">lampshade-hung in Pokemon Mystery Dungeon</a>, and lately games have been going to impressive lengths to have Diglett and Dugtrio make sense in the Pokemon universe. In Black and White, they're the only pokemon not to drop out of the pokeball when sent out; instead they just appear on the ground. In HG/SS's Pokeathlon (which by the way, is the coolest pokemon mini-game, beating Contests and Musicals by a landslide), you can place Diglett in the hurdles and instead of jumping it will <i>dig under them</i>. I think touches like that are great, but they're still not enough for some people. How does Diglett work indoors? <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xJoaTf-xXc" target="_blank">This gentleman sums up his objections pretty succinctly.</a><br /><br />Some of the artistic renderings of Diglett's true form resort to crazy, disjointed, Longcat-esque scrolls like in Kotaku's article. Far more common are the ones giving Diglett and Dugtrio sexy people bodies, which... I don't know what to say about, actually. I went through all Diglett's meme renditions (so you wouldn't have to), and here are some worth appreciating, methinks (click for full size).<div><br /><a href="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/121/734/Diglett_by_TDSpiral.png" target="_blank"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 235px; height: 250px;" src="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/121/734/Diglett_by_TDSpiral.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/024/509/diglett2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 444px; height: 250px;" src="http://i0.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/024/509/diglett2.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a href="http://i2.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/173/791/sample_98a1eb3de6dfbf6664448f68869039a5a37606e8.jpg" target="_blank"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 684px; height: 152px;" src="http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1193/sample98a1eb3de6dfbf666.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>In a way it makes sense for Diglett to be a giant monster, given that it causes earthquakes and everything. This one might be my favourite though, and is easily the most probable:</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-_E367faWAPg/Tqj3tWANR7I/AAAAAAAAAqg/lZnRJymrO2c/s1600/The_Diglet__s_Feet_by_Knickolaus.png" target="_blank"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 249px; height: 187px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IEPCETD6PQg/Tzt8yYqKVeI/AAAAAAAAAXw/9DFoDPmtB1c/s400/The_Diglet__s_Feet_by_Knickolaus.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709294157676828130" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Simple. Or perhaps, given its ability to skirt around on floorboards, Diglett is actually nothing more than its head and a disk of dirt. I like that idea too.</div><div><br /><a href="http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/175/855/tumblr_lrpeu5nhSG1r0oa3lo1_500.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 395px; height: 200px;" src="http://i3.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/000/175/855/tumblr_lrpeu5nhSG1r0oa3lo1_500.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Diglett for me has always sat on the Ground-type hierarchy a couple rungs below my spirit animals, Sandshrew and Cubone, but maybe I should reconsider. Really, those three together form a trio more legendary than any of the actual legendary trios (aand now I have an idea for my next LeafGreen playthrough). Diglett is more whimsical than my usual tastes, but that's not a bad thing. It has proven itself capable of capturing the imagination. Just look at all the <a href="http://th07.deviantart.net/fs70/300W/i/2011/279/a/b/darn_you__diglett__by_doormatt74-d4bzpdn.jpg" target="_blank">silly places</a> it turns up: <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8480/8194110511_6b799b8007_b.jpg.jpg.jpg" target="_blank">furniture</a>, <a href="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2010/247/1/7/diglett_bookmark_by_beyx-d2y0554.png" target="_blank">books</a>, <a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ltizruQshq1r58434o1_400.gif" target="_blank">cars</a>, <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8058/8194109961_83dc50b21c_b.jpg" target="_blank">ceilings</a>, <a href="http://img.creepyfrog.com/photos/fck-whales-diglett-iz-moar-hipster.jpg" target="_blank">instant messages</a>, <a href="http://i563.photobucket.com/albums/ss71/MISAMISAKEYBLADEMASTERAMANE/320px-WhackaMtRuggedPM.png" target="_blank">Paper Mario</a>, <a href="http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2011/063/e/2/lol_diglett_head_by_ginnunga-d3ax8v9.png" target="_blank">Adventure Time</a>. So silly! It's also got a Speed advantage over most pokemon, good Attack, and can learn <a href="http://chanarchive.org/content/51_v/11314400/1203740140960.png" target="_blank">Sucker Punch</a> and <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8200/8194114835_1e2562881c_b.jpg" target="_blank">Aerial Ace</a>, <a href="http://images.cheezburger.com/completestore/2011/9/3/777c09ea-3940-4f22-bed5-2fe99061e4fc.jpg" target="_blank">inexplicably</a>. In Gen II Diglett and Dugtrio are the only pokemon that can learn the one-hit KO move Fissure by level-up (actually a crappy move, but the stuff of schoolyard legend circa 1998), so we know they're cold-blooded killers.<br /><br />I haven't even gotten to Diglett's trading card artwork yet, oh my goodness. This is one of the all-time greats, courtesy of the EX Crystal Guardians expansion:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwB5n7VxFcM/TztaHX56adI/AAAAAAAAAV4/JX89gOpWWpc/s1600/50-diglett.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 195px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DwB5n7VxFcM/TztaHX56adI/AAAAAAAAAV4/JX89gOpWWpc/s400/50-diglett.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709256035344738770" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Diglett's like "OH SHIT how did I end up here??"</div><div><br />But Diglett doesn't just bring the comedy. Look at its emotional range.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oE5AG5xg7SM/TztqlsU1VdI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Pl64Kk8kHVs/s1600/Diglett%2B61%2B%2528reverse%2Bholo%2529.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 395px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-oE5AG5xg7SM/TztqlsU1VdI/AAAAAAAAAWQ/Pl64Kk8kHVs/s400/Diglett%2B61%2B%2528reverse%2Bholo%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709274148408481234" /></a> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AG2WUviJVQ4/Tztq1RIipBI/AAAAAAAAAWc/CZl42Jk21kc/s1600/DiglettSkyridge50.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 195px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AG2WUviJVQ4/Tztq1RIipBI/AAAAAAAAAWc/CZl42Jk21kc/s400/DiglettSkyridge50.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709274415987074066" /></a><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZmGCH6tITw/TztrT_7cAXI/AAAAAAAAAWo/9-R97K6v3xk/s1600/DiglettSecretWonders85.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 195px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VZmGCH6tITw/TztrT_7cAXI/AAAAAAAAAWo/9-R97K6v3xk/s400/DiglettSecretWonders85.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709274943944655218" /></a><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-diXShyIJFZY/TztsElAE3xI/AAAAAAAAAXM/rGYtXaW0Qv8/s1600/DiglettTeamRocket52.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 275px; height: 205px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-diXShyIJFZY/TztsElAE3xI/AAAAAAAAAXM/rGYtXaW0Qv8/s400/DiglettTeamRocket52.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709275778529943314" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKxSWQOb590/Tztr8JhR43I/AAAAAAAAAXA/q56vIzcjUik/s1600/diglett.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 5px 5px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 305px; height: 205px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cKxSWQOb590/Tztr8JhR43I/AAAAAAAAAXA/q56vIzcjUik/s400/diglett.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709275633714062194" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>These really ought to be hanging up in a gallery. On the left, Emerging Powers Diglett is basically the most in-your-face Diglett you will ever see, threatening to jump out of the frame like it's Diglett EX. The holo foil only makes it more hilarious. It's a good card too; a stall move, and 40 damage for 2 energy! Below it, not to be outdone, pop art Team Rocket Diglett is apparently giant and destroying a city in grim irony. In the upper right, Skyridge Diglett is bloody gorgeous and appears to have just finished a pilgrimage to the Dead Sea. Next down, Secret Wonders Diglett also partakes in the splendour of nature. It is a gardener Diglett; if it were to burrow carelessly like its brethren, it might uproot the delicate beauty of countless flowers like this one. The last Diglett appears to be from a fan-made card, so I don't even know who produced the artwork. Whoever it was, they sure knew their rule of thirds. Its off-centre position, sad eyes, and tight framing give it a repressed, wayward feel. It's like you hand an artist a character design that is basically a semicircle and a face, and what they produce is a window into their soul.</div><div><br />Then of course there is the <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/2/2d/DiglettBaseSet47.jpg" target="_blank">monolithic, crappily rendered 3D Diglett from the very first set</a>, which someone astutely observed looks like it belongs on <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8069/8194120241_dfb562aa03_b.jpg" target="_blank">that old Windows XP background</a>.<br /><br />Finally, I need to briefly address a recent attempt to spur a new Diglett meme, drawing attention to the shine on a single picture of Diglett's nose:</div><div><br /><a href="http://assets.cantbeunseen.com/hashed_silo_content/silo_content/18053/resized/tooth.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 297px; height: 225px;" src="http://assets.cantbeunseen.com/hashed_silo_content/silo_content/18053/resized/tooth.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>No, no it is not. it doesn't look anything like that and you are stupid<br /><br />I have no idea what they are saying, but these <a href="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/173/794/280b079e046826f940a0c573df930bb8.png" target="_blank">two</a> <a href="http://i1.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/000/173/793/066b5c0500aeaa719bfc3078dfc3c08f.png" target="_blank">comics</a> are hilarious. Was I supposed to be writing about sprites? I should do that.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>FireRed and LeafGreen</b><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nJfeZayW8ss/Tzt29C4ZADI/AAAAAAAAAXY/E8jXZBVJ2oE/s1600/Spr_3f_050.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 58px; height: 51px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nJfeZayW8ss/Tzt29C4ZADI/AAAAAAAAAXY/E8jXZBVJ2oE/s400/Spr_3f_050.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5709287743739723826" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Now I will ask you to scroll up like ten feet of internet-space to see the images I'm even talking about. This is poor site planning, I know.<br /><br />R/B holds a soft spot in my heart because its dirt is just so dusty and terrible. It's like a Diglett riding a R/B Gastly. I thought the Gen II sprites looked pretty good until I noticed the stark white highlights on their foreheads. High contrast is not necessarily kind to Diglett. Yellow's sprite isn't bad, but it looks a little too flat, like it's a thumb. Actually now they all kind of look like thumbs. Discard that mental image.<br /><br />D/P definitely has the most detailed dirt/rocks, so I see why they reused it for B/W. I think FR/LG has a bit more character, though. It's all leaning back, self-confident. Or maybe, since it's such a weirdly fast pokemon, the lean is from acceleration. Fwoosh!<br /><br />Honourable mention to the sprite animation from Emerald. I like how it pops up so alarmingly.<br /><a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/9/9f/Spr_3e_050.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 42px; height: 43px;" src="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/9/9f/Spr_3e_050.gif" border="0" alt="" /></a></div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-29702048234217953722011-12-31T22:41:00.011-05:002012-03-07T21:53:41.770-05:0049. Venomoth<a href="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7880/49venomoth.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 735px; height: 102px;" src="http://img94.imageshack.us/img94/7880/49venomoth.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><i><br /></i><div><i>so pretty</i></div><div><br />If you have spent any amount of time on Pokemon-related tumblrs or fansites, you may have seen an image like this:</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Js6p28cQRLU/Tv_c_5z_GJI/AAAAAAAAAUk/_ycN3lXjAaA/s1600/venonant.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 353px; height: 202px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Js6p28cQRLU/Tv_c_5z_GJI/AAAAAAAAAUk/_ycN3lXjAaA/s400/venonant.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692511444428331154" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Let's just put this to rest right now. Venonat and Venomoth were made for each other's bizarre, incongruous selves. Venomoth being Metapod's evolution just wouldn't work. Butterfree and Beedrill work together as the early game 3-part bug evolutions like peanut butter and jelly. Beedrill is sharp and angular; Butterfree is round and cuddly. Insert Venomoth's design into that and you have peanut butter and hummus or something. Which looks more like an advanced late-game pokemon: goofy, cartoonish Butterfree or regal, realistic Venomoth? And can you imagine Ash getting all teary-eyed after the sundering of his emotional attachment at the end of <i>Bye-bye Venomoth</i>? The fact that Venomoth has a head crest like Caterpie and Metapod is just a coincidence. Just like Butterfree having Venonat's exact eyes and antennae. And hands. And feet. And mouth. All coincidences. But anyway, isn't the point of metamorphosis that the initial form bears little resemblance to the end result? Yeah. Questionable Game Freak designers, I got your back.<br /><br />Though it never really occurred to me until now just how similar Butterfree and Venomoth are. They share most of each other's move sets in Gen I: Confusion, Stun Spore, Poison Powder, Sleep Powder, Supersonic, Psybeam. And they're both Lepidoptera. Can you imagine the fan response if there was a pair like Butterfree and Venomoth in a new Pokemon game? “new pokemon are terrible there all just faggy butterflies and shit LOL” Of course, I love it; Pokemon was inspired by bugs, and no bugs are collected as avidly as butterflies. They're like real-life pokemon. And Butterfree and Venomoth lack the clear butterfly/moth binary of, say, <s>Fluttershy and Muskox</s> Beautifly and Dustox, which is also cool. Venomoth's Japanese name is <i>Morpho</i>, which might just be a play on <i>morph</i>, but it's also a family of butterfly! Venomoth's wings also resemble these.</div><div><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnHXqakFQ9g/Tv_dgc-aRdI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2IFS2mYtsOE/s1600/6a00e553d45a2a8833014e8693959f970d-800wi.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 223px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-rnHXqakFQ9g/Tv_dgc-aRdI/AAAAAAAAAVI/2IFS2mYtsOE/s400/6a00e553d45a2a8833014e8693959f970d-800wi.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692512003623110098" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DrlvAnuLDJM/Tv_dYlk_VqI/AAAAAAAAAU8/HXIfmlxwp-Y/s1600/Bluemorphobutterfly.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 333px; height: 223px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DrlvAnuLDJM/Tv_dYlk_VqI/AAAAAAAAAU8/HXIfmlxwp-Y/s400/Bluemorphobutterfly.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692511868493452962" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kgUqT3L1NgU/Tv_dTAzIJMI/AAAAAAAAAUw/L-gD-593zDE/s1600/Eryphanis_automedon_2_%2528HS%2529.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 197px; height: 223px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-kgUqT3L1NgU/Tv_dTAzIJMI/AAAAAAAAAUw/L-gD-593zDE/s400/Eryphanis_automedon_2_%2528HS%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692511772721292482" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Apparently their wing scales have weird light-bending properties that aided in the development of holographic anti-counterfeiting stuff. Almost makes you want to give their namesake pokemon a bunch of psychic attacks, eh?<br /><br />There's plenty of moth in Venomoth too, though; it's not just an invention of localisation. Here's a quick butterfly/moth dichotomy primer, to refresh your Magic School Bus knowledge: moths tend to have rounder and fuzzier abdomens (check), feathered antennae (ehh), and less vivid colouration (Venomoth had the ghostly look going on way back in <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/e/eb/049Venomoth_RG.png" target="_blank">Sugimori's Red and Green artwork</a>). Butterflies at rest hold their wings folded in the air, while moth wings are spread parallel to the ground. Moths are more likely to be nocturnal and have fuzzy caterpillars (like Venonat!). But the line is often pretty blurry and you can find exceptions to all the rules above. I for one hope they never stop introducing new Lepidoptera pokemon; they're always cool. Look at Volcanora for goodness' sake. It's some kind of <i>moth god</i> that can <i>replace the sun</i>.<br /><br />Just to continue the “these should have been Psychic pokemon” thread, I love love love how Sabrina battles with a Venomoth in Generation I—at least until Yellow, when they give all the Venos to Koga like lame-os (although I guess it's pretty cool that the Venos can hold down a gym leader team all by themselves). Have I mentioned how much I like off-type gym leader pokemon? It's like, yeah, Sabrina takes her psychic types seriously, but Venomoth is so good at using psychic attacks it beat out Hypno for a spot on her team. It's the not-so-little moth that could.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Black and White</b><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLFH5qn_xbs/Tv_hLfCAslI/AAAAAAAAAVs/XMz6UnXgqj0/s1600/Spr_5b_049.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 96px; height: 85px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-TLFH5qn_xbs/Tv_hLfCAslI/AAAAAAAAAVs/XMz6UnXgqj0/s400/Spr_5b_049.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692516041444340306" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>One unfortunate thing about Venomoth sprites is their eyes have gone from big, creepy Venonat-worthy globules to the current little beady things. But part of the reason their eyes look so small now is because their wings are HUGE. Yellow, Gold and Silver have nice shapes to them, but they can't compete with the sheer sprite space the DS allows Venomoth's wings. Butterfree this is not. This is a moth bred with an eagle. HG/SS's are the biggest (a pixellation of <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/d/d3/049Venomoth.png" target="_blank">Sugimori's newer artwork</a>), but I like B/W's positioning better. There's something more sleek and delicate about it.</div><div><br />You may have noticed that B/W is basically D/P in reverse. But in fact, they are slightly different! I put the two over each other in a gif, with D/P flipped:<br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Imb1Dt0HdGk/Tv_eLnpYkBI/AAAAAAAAAVg/xBxFz5qD1_Y/s1600/venomoth.gif"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Imb1Dt0HdGk/Tv_eLnpYkBI/AAAAAAAAAVg/xBxFz5qD1_Y/s400/venomoth.gif" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5692512745222082578" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Oh dear. Now Venomoth is making a crude gesture at us. And it has a wild look in its eye.<br /><br />This is good, because D/P flipped is pretty much the best I could have asked for in a new Venomoth sprite, but it again raises the question why so many 1st Gen pokemon in D/P are facing backwards in the first place. It's meant to highlight their being out of place, maybe? I almost wonder if they actually appear that way in-game, or if some sprite ripper made a weird mistake and us lazy internet mobs have propagated it, depriving many a good sprite of their just recognition. I haven't collected any of said pokemon in D/P myself, so I wouldn't be able to tell you. Such are my blog-writing qualifications.</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-77964184814244677562011-12-22T10:55:00.013-05:002011-12-31T22:41:03.259-05:0048. Venonat<a href="http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5417/48venonat.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 565px; height: 78px;" src="http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/5417/48venonat.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>Venonat is a highly overlooked pokemon, and there are reasons for this. It is a mystery wrapped in an enigma and covered with plush fur. It has Butterfree's moveset, but Beedrill's typing. And I can't recall ever actually training one. It comes in rather late to the bug pokemon party, appearing only in three small and out-of-the-way patches of grass on the routes between Lavender Town and Fuchsia City. Even Paras was at least a Mt. Moon catch—that's before your second gym badge. By the time you see a Venonat, you have four badges, you've gotten the pokeflute and caught Snorlax, you've braved Pokemon Tower, and your starting pokemon is probably fully evolved. Not many trainers will be eager to introduce their Charizard to its new teammate, Some Bug Thing, especially when said thing only knows Tackle, Confusion and a bunch of status moves. Not when the only room for Bug-types in the party is probably already taken by a stronger and sentimentally kept Parasect or Butterfree.<br /><br />What redeems Venonat in most people's eyes is probably that it's cute. And boy is it cute. It looks like it's made out of a cotton ball, pipe cleaners and felt. Pokemon crafts community, don't let me down now!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOW_6d9j0kM/TvNV_khtgbI/AAAAAAAAAUA/MY-SevmHFp8/s1600/Mini_venonat_pluche_by_Daisuke_lol.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 3px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 248px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FOW_6d9j0kM/TvNV_khtgbI/AAAAAAAAAUA/MY-SevmHFp8/s400/Mini_venonat_pluche_by_Daisuke_lol.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688985304924258738" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://daisuke-lol.deviantart.com/art/Mini-venonat-pluche-163789274" target="_blank"><span>BAM</span></a><br /><br />But not so fast. Venonat is not just a little guy that fits neatly in your palm, as seen above. Venonat's official size is THREE FEET TALL. And SIXTY POUNDS. Process that for a moment. Venonat is the same height as Wartortle, Pignite, Primeape, Rhydon, and Ponyta. Do you have a dog? Venonat is probably bigger than your dog. Do you have a child or younger sibling? If they are younger than five or so, Venonat could probably eat them. Forget the pokedex entries about living in underbrush, coming out at night to eat small bugs, and being drawn to light like the moths outside your window; I'm not sure this thing would even fit under my porch. The closest thing to something being that big and eating bugs is... raccoons? Maybe? So Venonat is like a big raccoon, if raccoons could morph into five foot tall psychic moths. Somewhere, an acid user shudders, recalling a bad trip they had once.<br /><br />And raccoons are as good an analogue as any, because it's not clear what Venonat is supposed to be. It seems to lack a specific real-world inspiration. It's the “insect pokemon,” with compound eyes and antennae to match, but its hands and feet are paws. They're pretty much identical to Raticate's paws. Its fur could maybe be akin to stiff caterpillar hairs (if the idea of a three foot standing caterpillar comforts you), but in its early sprites it looks stringy and weighted like mammalian hair. At first Venonat reminds me of <a href="http://lpix.org/232323/fuzzy.jpg" target="_blank">Mario Fuzzies</a> or <a href="http://www.st-files.de/stgalaxis/anderevoelker/tribbles/images/tribble_ds9k7_kirkluke2.jpg" target="_blank">Tribbles</a>, but it wouldn't look out of place among Muppets or the monsters from <i>Where the Wild Things Are</i>. The easiest thing to imagine is some kind of rodent grown massive, with evolved bulbous arrays of compound eyes. The fan theory that pokemon are animals mutated from Hiroshima and Nagasaki fallout has never seemed more plausible, looking at Venonat. That cartoon puff of fur that seems so cute and simply designed has the side-effect of keeping Venonat's actual body a complete mystery to us. Maybe we should count ourselves lucky.<br /><br />Perhaps unsurprisingly, the anime never featured Venonat heavily either, at least as far as I watched it. Apparently Brock Replacement #1, Tracey Sketchit, frequently used a Venonat which functioned as some kind of awesome pokemon sniper and radar array. But all I can remember is the Venonat in the Koga episode, which hopped around the ninja mansion and evolved into Venomoth after like two seconds in battle. But I guess it did a pretty good job of creeping on Ash.</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQduRiYac8c/TvNWIw3TYfI/AAAAAAAAAUM/kxtxbn67Ldg/s1600/Screenshot%2Bat%2B2011-12-22%2B10%253A29%253A38.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 330px; height: 248px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yQduRiYac8c/TvNWIw3TYfI/AAAAAAAAAUM/kxtxbn67Ldg/s400/Screenshot%2Bat%2B2011-12-22%2B10%253A29%253A38.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688985462854869490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Here is my theory of what exactly is off about Venonat: it is mis-typed. In the last post I mentioned there has never been a Bug/Psychic pokemon. What pokemon would fit that combo better than Venonat? The focus of design and lore on its radar eyes, the parade of psychic attacks, the lack of poison attacks, the redundancy with Beedrill, all point to it being a natural psychic. Its Japanese name, <i>Kongpang</i> (insect + radar noise) focuses on the eyes too, making no mention of venom. But no, they had to be skimpy with Psychic typing in Generation I because it was très overpowèred back then, being immune to Ghost and ONLY weak to Bug attacks, which in Gen I were all of Leech Life, Fury Cutter and Twin Needle. Even today Bug/Psychic would be pretty interesting; it would resist Ground, double resist Fighting, and pretty much own other Psychic types. If they went back and retconned Magnemite's typing, I wish they had done the same to give Venonat a niche. Oh well; the Venonat fan club can be an intimate one.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>HeartGold and SoulSilver</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vgOCynGrSQ8/TvNWW5CDfLI/AAAAAAAAAUY/s6qLbo06zQY/s1600/Spr_4h_048.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-vgOCynGrSQ8/TvNWW5CDfLI/AAAAAAAAAUY/s6qLbo06zQY/s400/Spr_4h_048.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5688985705565617330" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>I am going to go against my usual inclination to favour the darker sprites for a dark pokemon (the Gameboy sprites) over its later pastel-coloured ones. I will also go against the inclination to favour energetic, running sprites like Yellow's, even though it is great. In truth, there really aren't any bad Venonat sprites (ignore for a moment newer sprites' tendency to make Venonat's nose and teeth look like a little moustache). I especially enjoy how they get bigger from game to game, like a time-lapse of The Very Hungry Venonat.<br /><br />But I like HG/SS Venonat the best because it stands tall. Like it is using those magnificent peepers to see something important. Or it is standing at attention to receive a medal of bravery for unexpectedly saving the whole kingdom. Or it is on a seaside cliff, watching the sunset with infrared vision, wind in its antennae. A Venonat with its head held high makes me feel all fuzzy.</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-64989761837713799612011-12-19T16:16:00.010-05:002011-12-21T18:01:59.499-05:0047. Parasect<a href="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4400/47parasect.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 655px; height: 102px;" src="http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/4400/47parasect.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div>This is the last time I get to post about mind-control parasites, so I'll throw some more great videos out there: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMG-LWyNcAs" target="_blank">here are wasp larvae</a> that burrow out of a living caterpillar and make the caterpillar defend their cocoons until it dies. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWB_COSUXMw" target="_blank">Here is a fungus</a> that makes snails climb to altitude and fills their antennae to look like swollen, throbbing caterpillars so birds will eat them and spread their spores. And my favourite is the Emerald Jewel Wasp, which does <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN2XMyxAs5o" target="_blank">brain surgery on cockroaches</a> to cut off their survival instincts and play a docile host to larvae. I mean, <i>really.</i> I have a friend who insists these things only <i>seem</i> evil and gross to us, and are actually perfectly innocuous as elements of nature. But no, I'm guessing those caterpillars and cockroaches would find them pretty evil and gross too. I'm still holding out hope for an Emerald Jewel Wasp pokemon; it could have actual emeralds in its design, and be really villainous, and have the first Bug/Psychic typing.<br /><div><br />But until that happens, Parasect is the reigning king of creepy bug pokemon, and perhaps creepy pokemon in general. Like Sandslash, it's a great progression from a simpler pokemon base, except instead of getting all rad and capable looking, it gets deformed and demented. One highlight is Paras' cute <a href="http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/5338/lennyn.jpg" target="_blank">Lenny</a> eyes becoming big, empty disks. The message couldn't be clearer: the pokemon you loved and nurtured to level 24 is gone. Now it's got one giant mushroom taking up like two thirds of its biomass. And the parts of Paras' body most notably developed? Yep, its legs and foreclaws. Like the only use the parasite has for Paras now is sustenance, locomotion and self defense. Remind you of anything? Like... pokemon training? You are the real parasite, grinding down your cute bug friend for levels and speed EVs, instead of taking it to see a doctor about those growths on its back. You monster.<br /><br />Parasect's predicament is so brutal it actually makes its pre-evolution that much cooler. This is the mark of a great pokemon: it complements its whole family. You train a Paras anticipating its gruesome evolved fate, and savour the tragedy. Would Paras be as appealing if it evolved into some healthy-looking insect adult, free of fungal hangers-on? It's doubtful. But I shouldn't have mentioned the possibility, because Game Freak is liable to make a pokemon like that now. Split Paras' evolution line to give it a more sunny option, like a new Bellossum. Blegh.<br /><br />I'm not usually as enthusiastic about pokemon attacks as I am about pokemon themselves, but Spore is bloody brilliant and I would train any pokemon that learns it. And guess what: Paras and Parasect are the only ones who can learn it, by any means, until Generation III, and even now the only ones who can learn it before level 45. They own Spore, pretty much. Sleep is easily the best status ailment because it gives you up to FIVE turns of complete incapacitance. That's like an entire battle. And Spore gives you sleep with 100% accuracy. If you had a hypothetical fast pokemon with Spore, its opponent would basically never attack. My all time favourite, I-can-never-start-a-new-game-on-this-cartridge-now LeafGreen elite four team had a Parasect (and a Sandslash, come to think of it) on which I broke my no-held-items rule and gave it a Quick Claw, so it could at least burn through Lorelei's pokemon without always taking Ice Beams to the face. Its Spore-to-Solar Beam combo was a thing of poetry.<br /><br />There is one pet peeve I have about Parasect though. Observe these two pictures of it, in its official Sugimori renditions:</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Y-9G3MkUBE/Tu-zmeibsMI/AAAAAAAAATE/iKajg8ZNPPA/s1600/047Parasect_RG.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 182px; height: 155px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5Y-9G3MkUBE/Tu-zmeibsMI/AAAAAAAAATE/iKajg8ZNPPA/s400/047Parasect_RG.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687962328006111426" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ0B1C-1F-w/Tu-zz05pprI/AAAAAAAAATQ/xduVPvleF-Y/s1600/047Parasect.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 164px; height: 155px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ0B1C-1F-w/Tu-zz05pprI/AAAAAAAAATQ/xduVPvleF-Y/s400/047Parasect.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687962557347374770" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Lovely, aren't they? Note the lack of mouths, which you see reflected in most of its game sprites. Now observe this abortion:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYteont9qQc/Tu-0BNdFiFI/AAAAAAAAATc/s-n6wxwTV5o/s1600/Parasect_anime.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 265px; height: 200px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NYteont9qQc/Tu-0BNdFiFI/AAAAAAAAATc/s-n6wxwTV5o/s400/Parasect_anime.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687962787276752978" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Suddenly Parasect is a Barney character. Why, anime? Having some trouble making an expressionless zombie pokemon be expressive? GOOD. Don't turn an awesome pokemon into a golly-shucks sock puppet. But this is exactly what artists do over and over now, including in the (big surprise) Pokemon Yellow sprite. Listen: something that is having the last ounces of its lifeforce sucked out of it by a commandeering parasite has no need for a prominent mouth. Unless it wants to go “Parasect! Parasect!” instead of making its <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-tzebz6_kk" target="_blank">haunting, alien cry</a> which is one of the best in the game. If you catch someone drawing Parasect with a mouth, please give them a stern talking-to for me.<br /><br />Lastly, when I was looking for cool Parasect pictures I found this little bumper below. I have no idea what it's from, but it looks like the logo to a brand of Parasect athletic shoe. Which I want now.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x87yKYURxrk/Tu-3W-hVkpI/AAAAAAAAAT0/ocjvqxGclG4/s1600/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 101px; height: 62px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-x87yKYURxrk/Tu-3W-hVkpI/AAAAAAAAAT0/ocjvqxGclG4/s400/images.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687966459760054930" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Silver</b><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTNK8J56Pxk/Tu-0SqiA3tI/AAAAAAAAATo/6DDbgZGLkb8/s1600/Spr_2s_047.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 56px; height: 56px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OTNK8J56Pxk/Tu-0SqiA3tI/AAAAAAAAATo/6DDbgZGLkb8/s400/Spr_2s_047.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5687963087139823314" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Aww yeah. You had to know Gold and Silver's heavily shadowed style would fit Parasect perfectly. Look at what they're able to accomplish with just two colours; look at the mushroom's spots! It's like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Checker_shadow_illusion" target="_blank">checker shadow illusion</a>. Pokemon sprites never have that sense of depth to them now.<br /><br />Silver's sprite barely edges out Gold's for me, because it's just so obscure and lurking. But they're both pretty fantastic. I also appreciate the sprites from Red, Green and Blue, for looking like alien motherships.<br /></div></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-8684124527713646672011-09-21T00:08:00.010-04:002011-09-21T01:37:24.338-04:0046. Paras<a href="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/2196/46paras.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0 0px 0px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 600px; height: 70px;" src="http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/2196/46paras.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>Now, we may move away from the part of the pokedex with the dark, obscure and bizarre organisms for biology nerds. And instead ruminate on mind-controlling insect brain fungi.<br /><br />Paras might just be my <a href="http://pokemonspriteguy.blogspot.com/2010/10/27-sandshrew.html" target="_blank">favourite pokemon</a>, and it is largely for this reason: if I'm ever in the position of having to defend Pokemon to someone intellectually scrupulous, I'm quick to bring up real-world curiosities that inspire creatures in the series. Among them being pangolins, and parasitic insect brain fungi. Then I steer them towards HeartGold/SoulSilver, as it's imo the best Pokemon game, and features both of them. Digimon can't claim that shit.<br /><br />Bulbapedia's blurb says there are “many forms of fungus that grow on insects, any one of which could have inspired Paras's design,” and then they stab at <span style="font-style:italic;">Entomophthora muscae</span>, an abdomen-enveloping housefly fuzz. Yawn. They somewhat dropped the ball there, because Paras is very clearly a victim of CORDYCEPS, which you should be familiar with if you've seen that eerily beautiful youtube video with David Attenborough.<br /><br /><iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/XuKjBIBBAL8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><br /><br />If you want that to get even creepier, know that people proceed to EAT this fungus because they think it has <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvTOtfXXiC4" target="_blank">medicinal properties</a>. Apparently it's good for your chi, has both ying AND yang (because it's both plant and animal), and like all folk medicine, will give you an erection. Tochukasu mushrooms, or <i>Coryceps sinensis</i>, are apparently harvested in huge amounts for these reasons— hence the Tiny Mushroom item you find on Paras in the game that “certain maniacal fan segments” really like! Now we know what the Move Relearner on Two Island wants with them. And I can add to my list of Pokemon curiosities the economics of boner medicine.<br /><br />They're not actually cute, red Mario mushrooms, though; Wikipedia has a <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/07/Cordyceps_Sinensis.jpg" target="_blank">nice, gross picture</a> of a collection of tochukasu— they grow out of caterpillar noggins in these long, creepy tendrils that look like the hill from Nightmare Before Christmas.<br /><br />The best part about Paras though, is despite the grim background, its design is SO CUTE. Especially those perfect, plastic googly eyes. They almost make you want to knit a Paras out of yarn just so you could stick said eyes onto i— OH MY GOD</div><div><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YkvVKQjzp6Q/Tnlsrfu39MI/AAAAAAAAASU/vQERW8lTvMs/s1600/tumblr_la1k8aJCr01qa12hvo1_r1_500.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 245px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YkvVKQjzp6Q/Tnlsrfu39MI/AAAAAAAAASU/vQERW8lTvMs/s320/tumblr_la1k8aJCr01qa12hvo1_r1_500.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654670301648647362" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>I love you, internet. You seem to really like making Paras! Here are some more, and notice how even official TCG artists want a tactile Paras they can keep on their desks and love forever.<br /><br /><a href="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2749/pokemonplushparasbyjuum.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 158px; height: 400px;" src="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/2749/pokemonplushparasbyjuum.jpg" border="0" alt="" align="top" /></a> <a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lu-L1B76NYw/TnlwjwYfZPI/AAAAAAAAAS0/XT0zjH76jnE/s1600/ParasEXFireRedLeafGreen72.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 195px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lu-L1B76NYw/TnlwjwYfZPI/AAAAAAAAAS0/XT0zjH76jnE/s320/ParasEXFireRedLeafGreen72.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654674566725723378" /></a> <a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uv1GCKm756Q/Tnlw4VbuJOI/AAAAAAAAAS8/GNJbRmqgmbA/s1600/pokemon___bitty_paras_by_couch_stuffs-d2yx38v.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 195px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uv1GCKm756Q/Tnlw4VbuJOI/AAAAAAAAAS8/GNJbRmqgmbA/s320/pokemon___bitty_paras_by_couch_stuffs-d2yx38v.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654674920268768482" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>That is Paras from the EX FireRed &amp; LeafGreen expansion, if you want to go out and get the card. I kind of do. The plushes are from <a href="http://juumou.deviantart.com" target="_blank">http://juumou.deviantart.com</a> and <a href="http://couch-stuffs.deviantart.com/gallery/27078714" target="_blank">http://couch-stuffs.deviantart.com/gallery/27078714</a>.<br /><br />Paras also has the cutest little stabbing claws. If a Paras scratches you, you think, “Aww, I can't get upset, scratching is all he knows!” It's got a button nose, and a tiny version of Pinsir's sideways mouth. But my favourite element of its design is probably the forehead dots. I think maybe they're supposed to be more eyes, like a spider would have, cold and soulless. But it's also easy to imagine them as nose bridge freckles.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><b>Black and White</b></div><div><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lfy_DQN9f7A/TnltfQHLL8I/AAAAAAAAASk/FARPaHS6RfM/s1600/Spr_5b_046.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 64px; height: 54px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Lfy_DQN9f7A/TnltfQHLL8I/AAAAAAAAASk/FARPaHS6RfM/s320/Spr_5b_046.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5654671190808801218" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>They're all so good! Whenever I put these posts together I download all the sprites to my desktop, and it was completely great to have a bunch of Paras scuttling across the screen. It's clearly impossible to make Paras look bad. Although Yellow is a bit plump (blood-engorged?), and R/S has a shoulder thing going on, and R/G is floating by its mushrooms almost exactly like a <a href="http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20080706044830/starcraft/images/5/52/Overlord_SC1_Rend1.gif" target="_blank">Zerg Overlord</a>. SPAWN MOAR PARAS<br /><br />R/B, Gold, and D/P all have really dynamic poses, especially Gold. Those are Paras ready to get down to business. Ultimately I choose B/W, though, because it's just so detailed! Check out the depth to it, and the portion of its body in shadow. It's practically three-dimensional. And they definitely didn't have to go back and spiff up Paras' sprite for Black and White, but they did anyway. Which gives me hope that I'm not the only weirdo who loves this little guy.</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-50313516257801156792011-09-14T01:44:00.027-04:002011-09-14T03:07:10.135-04:0045. Vileplume<a href="http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/694/45vileplume.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 735px; height: 102px;" src="http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/694/45vileplume.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>All due apologies for the dearth of updates. Now I am settled at school and can get back to two or more posts a month maybe!!<br /><div><br />I've been really wary that this blog doesn't become just an inferior version of that guy who does the <a href="http://bulbanews.bulbagarden.net/wiki/On_the_Origin_of_Species:_Gloom_and_Vileplume" target="_blank">Origin of Species posts</a> on Bulbapedia. But to summarise: Vileplume is based on the world's biggest flower species, which can weigh up to 22 pounds, has no stem or root system, grows parasitically on vines of a specific rainforest genus, and smells like a corpse.<br /><br />That is a pretty great pokemon inspiration. So next time you hear someone complaining that new pokemon are all based on weird things they don't get, and Gen I was simple and innocent, you can shove a rafflesia in their face. Or maybe shove their face in a rafflesia. I mean, it's big enough. That's why in every picture of a person with a rafflesia, it looks like they're contemplating sticking their head in its gullet.<br /><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jMN3GnnhZuo/TnBB7II96nI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Fgtunvmb4yI/s1600/images.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 225px; height: 224px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-jMN3GnnhZuo/TnBB7II96nI/AAAAAAAAAQ0/Fgtunvmb4yI/s400/images.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652090016403155570" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfAkqzkc6pk/TnBB11lZLRI/AAAAAAAAAQs/GrQVnjog7E0/s1600/ed_rafflesia.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 335px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-mfAkqzkc6pk/TnBB11lZLRI/AAAAAAAAAQs/GrQVnjog7E0/s400/ed_rafflesia.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652089925522763026" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUdlivAcbb8/TnBDrXfPIrI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/sajAI6Iu4Ug/s1600/rafflesia1%2B%25281%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 306px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fUdlivAcbb8/TnBDrXfPIrI/AAAAAAAAAQ8/sajAI6Iu4Ug/s400/rafflesia1%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652091944668439218" /></a><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ExJT5PWtbo/TnBNN7Eb99I/AAAAAAAAASM/0_1wv-8KGlQ/s1600/Rafflesia.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 254px; height: 224px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5ExJT5PWtbo/TnBNN7Eb99I/AAAAAAAAASM/0_1wv-8KGlQ/s400/Rafflesia.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652102433939912658" /></a><br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z-TIrgnAvA/TnBIlSB7oSI/AAAAAAAAAR0/5v0XGh_KnLE/s1600/rafflesia%2B%25281%2529.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 290px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-3Z-TIrgnAvA/TnBIlSB7oSI/AAAAAAAAAR0/5v0XGh_KnLE/s400/rafflesia%2B%25281%2529.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652097337682272546" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OguN04yIQp0/TnBEFWVjMJI/AAAAAAAAARM/wtgy6Op1mvQ/s1600/rafflesia.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 270px; height: 224px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-OguN04yIQp0/TnBEFWVjMJI/AAAAAAAAARM/wtgy6Op1mvQ/s400/rafflesia.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652092391035973778" /></a><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And they all look like perfect fits too! Clearly this is the Amigara Fault of the vegetable world. All those people are like, “It's my hole!” I'm starting to think the flower's recessed centre isn't for collecting gallons of rainwater or protecting stamen, but for biting off tourist heads. The corpse smell is the digestion process.<br /><br />Vileplume's design is appropriately sinister, then. Sure, a lot of these sprites are a little too frolicking and silly, but that wide-brim flowertop and dark underbody are just asking to be made all shadowy and beckoning. And the red dot eyes return from Oddish. I always thought Vileplume's moment of glory was when Karen, the Dark type Johto Elite Four member, had one in her party. Just when you have your Fighting pokemon all ready, you get Petal Dance'd in the face. More gym leaders and Elite Four trainers should have off-type pokemon. Take note, Game Freak.<br /><br />In my HeartGold Nuzlocke game I have a Gloom, met in Ilex forest, with an Adamant nature, which is basically the worst nature a Gloom can possibly have (high attack, low sp. attack). For a while I considered evolving it to Bellossom so it could learn Leaf Blade, but then decided against it because Bellossom is lame. No pokemon could possibly fit less into its evolutionary line; it's smaller than the pokemon it evolves from, and less interesting. It generally smacks of “Hey guys, our grass type pokemon are too unique. What are these, venus flytraps, bulging corpse flowers, a palm tree with heads for coconuts? What our fans want is a pokemon that's completely generic!” And so was born Bellossum. And that's fine, but have it stand alone; don't use it to crowd the back end of a pokemon line that is actually good. VILEPLUME FOREVER.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Black and White</span></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2LuxspRGWfU/TnBGVtzIA6I/AAAAAAAAARs/4I4JL6Ub800/s1600/Spr_5b_045_m.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 75px; height: 71px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2LuxspRGWfU/TnBGVtzIA6I/AAAAAAAAARs/4I4JL6Ub800/s400/Spr_5b_045_m.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652094871235199906" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>HG/SS would have won here, if it weren't for Black and White. Vileplume's recent artists totally get it. The shadowyness, the slight tilt, the ambiguous smile. B/W has particularly dead-looking colours. They have a great <a href="http://cdn.bulbagarden.net/media/upload/6/6a/045Vileplume.png" target="_blank">Sugimori model</a> from which to work, and this sprite is basically a recreation of that, which is perfectly fine.<br /><br />In fact, they might even get more out of Vileplume in pixel art. Because check out its eyes:</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TM-Yb9Z1va0/TnBFUj65GjI/AAAAAAAAARk/tEy_H6snSrk/s1600/vileplume%2Bzoom.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 195px; height: 135px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TM-Yb9Z1va0/TnBFUj65GjI/AAAAAAAAARk/tEy_H6snSrk/s400/vileplume%2Bzoom.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652093751891925554" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>These are the glowing sentient parasite jester eyes of nightmares. If you see these in your garden, run.<br /><br />Just imagine them under a real rafflesia.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPlIgVRfSCg/TnBE8JP-CdI/AAAAAAAAARU/d6M7Qt5O1C8/s1600/real%2Bvileplume1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 255px; height: 231px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-NPlIgVRfSCg/TnBE8JP-CdI/AAAAAAAAARU/d6M7Qt5O1C8/s400/real%2Bvileplume1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5652093332415711698" /></a><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm going to go get no sleep now.</div><div><br /></div></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-54314927530186092732011-07-05T20:20:00.015-04:002014-02-24T06:09:54.507-05:0044. Gloom<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fby65IYIsiI/UwsoO91iJLI/AAAAAAAAA40/KwRvt0RdE4E/s1600/44.+gloom.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fby65IYIsiI/UwsoO91iJLI/AAAAAAAAA40/KwRvt0RdE4E/s1600/44.+gloom.png" /></a><br />Recently I updated to Ubuntu 11.04, and something about VisualBoy Advance didn't like it. Because look what happened to LeafGreen!<br /><br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5TJeXZ0hIc/ThOq5u9VK6I/AAAAAAAAAPE/VpsryOZ1HAI/s1600/Screenshot.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-E5TJeXZ0hIc/ThOq5u9VK6I/AAAAAAAAAPE/VpsryOZ1HAI/s400/Screenshot.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626028268350417826" /></a><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znwPIxiu8GE/ThOrK6jlfYI/AAAAAAAAAPM/Tu9g0lg-3m0/s1600/Screenshot-1.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-znwPIxiu8GE/ThOrK6jlfYI/AAAAAAAAAPM/Tu9g0lg-3m0/s400/Screenshot-1.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626028563521437058" /></a><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LK5tOzWObP0/ThOrYB_INZI/AAAAAAAAAPU/qGM0ZMkH8c0/s1600/Screenshot-4.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LK5tOzWObP0/ThOrYB_INZI/AAAAAAAAAPU/qGM0ZMkH8c0/s400/Screenshot-4.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626028788854306194" /></a><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHoYZgX3pSg/ThOre1ISgaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/7Ps74Dt4iA8/s1600/Screenshot-5.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oHoYZgX3pSg/ThOre1ISgaI/AAAAAAAAAPc/7Ps74Dt4iA8/s400/Screenshot-5.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626028905662153122" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This is only with my Pokemon games, and appears to be a permanent corruption. But they're still playable; in fact, it's like my computer was privy to my obvious love for high-contrast images. Look at it! It's <span style="font-style:italic;">Pokemon Noir</span>. I'm not trusting that nurse with any of my pokemon.</div><div><br />(And I am emulating in the first place, because I've grown to hate the Pokemon series' lack of a multiple save feature; you can't start a new game on a cartridge without killing all your babies.)<br /><br />Anyway what does this have to do with Gloom why can't you see it looks <span style="font-style:italic;">gloomy</span><br /><br />We've seen pokemon sprites shooting lightning sparks, and spitting fire, but none of them match the special effects work seen on some of these Glooms, even through Gold and Silver when such things were out of fashion. And Gloom's effects are even cooler than fire and lightning, because they represent what I can only assume to be a personal cloud of pestilence. Gloom is the Pigpen of the Pokemon universe.<br /><br />Gloom was overlooked in that one list of <a href="http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/03/15/weirdest-pokemon-black-white/" target="_blank">creepy pokedex entries</a>, but I think it still provides a gem or two. Observe: “The fluid that oozes from its mouth isn't drool. It is a nectar that is used to attract prey. / ...[The nectar] is very sticky and clings stubbornly if touched. / ...Although sweet, [the nectar] smells too repulsive to get very close. / ...However, around 1 out of 1,000 people enjoy sniffing its nose-bending stink. / The smell from its drool-like syrup and the pollen on its petals is so bad, it may make opponents faint. / From its mouth Gloom drips honey that smells absolutely horrible. Apparently, it loves the horrid stench. It sniffs the noxious fumes and then drips even more of its honey. / ...One whiff of the honey can result in memory loss. Some fans are said to enjoy this overwhelming stink, however. / Its pistils exude an incredibly foul odor. The horrid stench can cause fainting at a distance of 1.25 miles.”<br /><br />So, to review, Gloom's drool tastes sweet but smells awful, is actually used to catch prey, works in conjunction with pistils and pollen that also have this power, can cause people to pass out from kilometers away, or lose their memory with one whiff, and some fans actively seek this out, and Gloom itself enjoys it. Gloom: the narcotic pokemon. Continuing their great interpretation of the Oddish family, I can recall Gold and Silver having Gloom a few times as a Rocket grunt pokemon, and that seems fitting. Now we know what all those trainers in the Celadon City gym were enamoured with. Plus with its staggering, and bright orange, bobtail leaf-hair, and pronounced lips, its design appears to be based on everyone's Xanax-addicted mother.<br /><br />By the way, the sprites I put together up there are male sprites from D/P on. When given the choice between two sprites, I tend to pick the ones with the bigger features, or more spots or spikes or whatever the case may be. This time I had extra incentive though, because:<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-%3Ca%20onblur=" try="" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-lxym8uyVPDY/ThOtRiX_ScI/AAAAAAAAAP0/QuZ84hyV38s/s400/Spr_4d_044_f.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626030876312684994" /></a><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0v8kpuEKGnI/ThOswUKmMZI/AAAAAAAAAPk/iW19Qj7BowE/s400/gloom-f.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626030305562734994" /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm pretty sure no plant will ever have a pattern like that on it. Because they look like nipples.</div><div><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HeartGold and SoulSilver</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xhb_U2MrsA8/ThOuApD860I/AAAAAAAAAQE/QxpA5D6-dBA/s1600/Spr_4h_044_m.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Xhb_U2MrsA8/ThOuApD860I/AAAAAAAAAQE/QxpA5D6-dBA/s400/Spr_4h_044_m.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5626031685561543490" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>At first I was leaning towards Silver, because its pestilence is especially effective and it has a nice drunken swagger. Red and Blue's is also pretty serviceable; I like its mouth properly agape. Yellow's would be good if its colouration here didn't physically hurt my eyes (actually, I need to read up on how the colouration for those original GameBoy sprites even works, since they were designed before the GameBoy Colour. By what sorcery do GBCs convert old games?).<br /><br />But the thing that grabs me about this HG/SS sprite is that, for lacking the farcical imbalance of the others, it takes on a certain dignity. Look at its somber tragedy! It by far pays the most pixel service to Gloom's droopy eyelids. Its drool drips not out of a sprite-implied compromised state, but out of permanent nature, and this Gloom looks painfully cognizant of that fact. It will drip that way forever.</div><div><br /></div></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-22276674803213576742011-06-30T18:16:00.012-04:002011-06-30T18:55:58.198-04:0043. Oddish<a href="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/482/43oddish.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 575px; height: 78px;" src="http://img231.imageshack.us/img231/482/43oddish.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>so a guy walks into the pokemart asking for a grass-type pokemon and I say “would you like a walking radish” and he says “walking radish that sounds odd” and I say “well, it's Odd<span style="font-style:italic;">ish</span>”<br /><br />Guess what I found in my unkept-new-growth-forest backyard when I got home from school this year?<br /><a href="http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/865/oddish.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 597px; height: 300px;" src="http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/865/oddish.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>It's an ODDISH PLANT. I swear I didn't plant or arrange this in any way; it just grew there itself. With no others around it. It probably gets up and walks around at night. A touring turnip!<br /><br />Oddish is based none too subtly on mandrake roots, the things that in <s>Mrs. Sprout's class in Harry Potter</s> mythology, will scream and kill everyone if you dig them up, and curse you forever, and make you poisoned and hallucinatory and fertile and aroused, and only grow where semen from hanged men drips on the ground. Look, I'm not making this stuff up. Their roots rather creepily resemble people from the waist down, and so cultures have given them all kinds of creepy associations. Like they possess human souls, or we descend from them. Oddish's adorable little pixel eyes bely something sinister!<br /><br />Unfortunately, this bipedal beetroot is a fairly straightforward grass/poison type in-game, among an army of Gen I grass/poison types. But I do appreciate that in Gen II, it only comes out at night in Ilex Forest. That was one of my favourite uses of the whole night dynamic, and is a nice nod to Oddish's background. Also, from Gen III onward, their eyes are always blood red. Full of evil!<br /><br />Oddish is also surprisingly fun to train. Take one for a walk in Union Cave, beat up on Geodudes and Sandshrews, and watch as your traveling chard grows ten levels in an hour. For a while, this made me think Oddish might actually grow faster than other pokemon, sort of like how your starting pokemon always seems to grow really fast. How ignorant I was of EXPERIENCE GROUPS.<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-byLMGQt30GY/Tgz6pniVkTI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ru5sJZ0LCDc/s1600/ExpGraphLv50.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 262px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-byLMGQt30GY/Tgz6pniVkTI/AAAAAAAAAOs/ru5sJZ0LCDc/s400/ExpGraphLv50.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624145627573489970" /> </a> <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-93_fLCmy6Uk/Tgz7M5qyeYI/AAAAAAAAAO0/dC6kj0OmyiE/s1600/ExpGraphLv100.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 360px; height: 262px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-93_fLCmy6Uk/Tgz7M5qyeYI/AAAAAAAAAO0/dC6kj0OmyiE/s400/ExpGraphLv100.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624146233736198530" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Just when you think you're pretty well-versed in secret pokemon formulae! Experience groups! Those are charts of all six of them, showing how many exp. points (y axis) it takes to reach each level (x axis), up to 50 on the left and 100 on the right. Oddish is in the Medium Slow group (purple), along with all starting pokemon. The amount of experience it takes them to reach level <span style="font-style:italic;">x</span> is given by the formula: 6/5x^3 – 15x^2 + 100x – 140, to a maximum of 1,059,860 at lv100. Compare this to the Medium Fast group (yellow), which is the most populous of all groups: its experience at level <span style="font-style:italic;">x</span> is simply x^3, to 1,000,000 at lv100. But observe: the Medium Slow group actually grows faster than the Medium Fast group until level 67! Making it kind of a misnomer. And it is the fastest to lv50, besides the Fast group (which is all of Jigglypuff, Clefairy and Chansey in Gen I). Anyway, what I am getting at is Oddish does grow reasonably fast.</div><div><br />In conclusion, I just want to share one of my favourite TCG illustrations:<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ngRKCNdGq4/Tgz5HlFFqrI/AAAAAAAAAOc/E0rApAk0PvU/s1600/la_111_oddish.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 324px; height: 225px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-3ngRKCNdGq4/Tgz5HlFFqrI/AAAAAAAAAOc/E0rApAk0PvU/s400/la_111_oddish.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624143943286762162" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Oddish, you pondered all the questions of your existence in relation to a wayward leaf on the river already, didn't you. <span style="font-style:italic;">Nyoro~n</span><br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HeartGold and SoulSilver</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XiH7dy7FRxg/Tgz8LK-7LVI/AAAAAAAAAO8/yy0dhwYOe2I/s1600/Spr_4h_043.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 80px; height: 80px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XiH7dy7FRxg/Tgz8LK-7LVI/AAAAAAAAAO8/yy0dhwYOe2I/s400/Spr_4h_043.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5624147303535947090" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>This one is tough, because I went off about how Oddish should be dark, which suits the early-gen Oddishes. But then I also like the red-eye version, which suits later-gen Oddishes! But then, and maybe this is just my screen's resolution and colour values, but some of those eyes are so small they're hard to see! As for Oddish's leaf hairdo, that has looked pretty stylish ever since Yellow. Perhaps Platinum could use a trim. Finally, you get to choose between the joyful Oddishes, and the pensive Oddishes. Really, all these sprites are pretty good.<br /><br />I like this one the best, though, because it's just <span style="font-style:italic;">so happy</span>. It's plump and has a pretty good face-to-leaves ratio which allows for its expressiveness. More of it is in shadow than its GBA and DS brethren, which is good. It's not as mobile as some others (and a mobile mangelwurzel should be mobile), but makes up for it with that tilted, inviting look. “Hi! Come get poisoned!”<br /><br />I hope you enjoy all my root vegetable alliteration. Running rutabaga.<br /></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-38179677262366390472011-04-22T06:02:00.014-04:002011-12-19T17:50:24.365-05:0042. Golbat<a href="http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1255/42golbat.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 735px; height: 102px;" src="http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/1255/42golbat.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I just finished an essay for school about Thomas Nagel's “What Is It Like to Be a Bat?” and now I get to come here and write about bats. Look people: it's not that mysterious. Imagine you weigh just a few ounces, are primarily driven by needs to feed and copulate with little capacity for reflection, can fly, eat fruit or bugs or blood, and have your entire neural system adapted to orient yourself with the hypersensitive reception of bouncing sound waves. That is what it is like to be a bat.<br /><br />Golbat is something else though. For some reason, I had written off its design as boring. Crobat is really to blame for this. When was the last time you trained a Golbat for more than a level or two, before it evolved again? It has become this forgettable middle sibling in the bat family, with features that have nothing to do with its evolved or pre-evolved state. Why does its body and mouth go from huge to small again? And what are those, <span style="font-style:italic;">legs</span>?<br /><br />But looking at it now, I love almost all of these sprites. I invite you to wipe from your memory, for the moment, the fact that it easily evolves into something better and more streamlined. Think back to Red and Blue. Golbat was king of its domain then. Similar to a Raticate or Arbok, but stronger and scarier. The consummate bad guy pokemon. And to continue my mission of finding something cute about every pokemon: look at its itty bitty little ears! Awww<br /><br />The mouth is the main attraction here. There are other pokemon notable for their enormous maws that never seem to close (Gyarados, Exploud), but Golbat's takes the cake in terms of mouth-to-body ratio. In fact, it could probably take a couple dozen cakes. At once. My favourite interpretations of Golbat are the ones that don't even make an effort to have its mouth look possible in three-dimensional space. Its first several sprites take this route, as well as the anime version.<div><br /><div><a href="http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/johto/196/009.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 180px; height: 135px;" src="http://www.serebii.net/anime/pictures/johto/196/009.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>(Yeesh, you could lose your whole person in that thing)<br /><br />Instead of showing the mouth at an angle where there's a clear recession, it's shown full on and stark black. I like the idea of an animal with such a thin, depthless body (which you can see even in its HG/SS overworld sprites)</div><div><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4TzaSwVvWUU/TbFUJIqOl7I/AAAAAAAAAOI/d0lgOnx4pK8/s1600/hgss_kanto_pokemon_overworld_sprites.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 66px; height: 130px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4TzaSwVvWUU/TbFUJIqOl7I/AAAAAAAAAOI/d0lgOnx4pK8/s400/hgss_kanto_pokemon_overworld_sprites.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598348327718393778" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>nonetheless having a mouth from which light can not escape. Golbat is a black hole with wings and feet.<br /><br />And those feet, while goofy, actually kind of tie into the vampire bats on which Golbat is based. Did you know vampire bats are the only bats adapted to run on the ground? I always figured they swooped down upon victims, but apparently they land stealthily a ways away from their target, then bound forward on all fours, using their wing muscles for propulsion. That sounds <span style="font-style:italic;">amazing</span>. Although I'll never understand how a vampire bat gets away with feeding. Mosquitoes and black flies you can understand, but how does anyone not notice getting mounted by a whole <span style="font-style:italic;">bat</span>.<br /><br />The more I think about it, the more I wish Crobat had been an alternate evolution of Zubat, rather than the final evolution. Then Crobat would be like the fruit bat lineage (small mouth, wings, high speed stat) while Golbat retains its thunder as the carnivore bat (huge mouth, feet, high attack). I would proudly roll with Golbat in that arrangement. Extra speed is useless anyway once you're already faster than everything.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Red and Blue</span></div><div><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4iM90TcgCM/TbFT85pv-DI/AAAAAAAAAOA/3gInV29tsYI/s1600/Spr_1b_042.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 56px; height: 56px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-d4iM90TcgCM/TbFT85pv-DI/AAAAAAAAAOA/3gInV29tsYI/s400/Spr_1b_042.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598348117531424818" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />Yellow's sprite is pretty darn amazing. I like Silver's silly walk. Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum's look again like they're ready-made animation for Black and White. Although D/P is the best out of those, because its lower jaw is out of line with its skull, which they decided to fix in B/W. Look, with a mouth that big and loose you can't expect everything to be symmetrical.<br /><br />Red and Blue is a very special kind of horrifying though. Normally Red and Blue sprites try to look less bizarre than Red and Green's, but not here. The eyes extending past its head. The extreme angle. The tongue to rival Lickitung's, seen on no other Golbat, unfurling horizontally out the side of its mouth, from in front of its teeth. It's like everything is mis-oriented. It's a work of surrealist art, made specifically to induce nightmares in Red and Blue children.</div></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-48041921453546858312011-04-21T15:47:00.006-04:002012-11-17T22:24:20.804-05:0041. Zubat<a href="http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/786/41zubat.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 650px; height: 78px;" src="http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/786/41zubat.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;"><br /></span><div><span><b>Dusk!</b></span> With a creepy, tingling sensation, you hear the fluttering of leathery wings! Zubats! With <s>glowing red eyes</s> no eyes to speak of and glistening fangs, these unspeakable giant bugs drop onto—<br /><br />...What do you mean Zubats aren't bugs? They know Leech Life don't they? They number in the millions don't they?<br /><br />Yes, it's Zubat, our friend from Every Pokemon Game Until Black and White. Of course, Zubat isn't alone in this; I'm bound to make this same complaint about Geodude and Machop. Really, Game Freak? For fifteen years, you couldn't think of anything that lives in caves besides bats and rocks? Zubats are far and above the most annoying however, probably due to their rate of encounter, and Supersonic at a point of the game where you're probably not fast or strong enough to give 'em the old OHKO. An annoyance on which I am <a href="http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljvb459FqK1qaa21mo1_500.png" target="_blank">far</a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8203/8194266315_3051ce0215_b.jpg" target="_blank">from</a> <a href="http://i830.photobucket.com/albums/zz229/evolv3_pokemon/zubat.png" target="_blank">the</a> <a href="http://img841.imageshack.us/img841/7243/zubat.png" target="_blank">first</a> <a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8209/8194266583_9e3968da93_b.jpg" target="_blank">person</a> to comment.<br /><br />You know what though? It's not even Zubat's fault. It's the fact that cave tiles throw at least as many pokemon at you as tall grass. Think about that. A cave in Pokemon is like an entire route filled wall-to-wall with grass. No wonder people are sick of Zubats. Would it kill them to lower the encounter rate a little? And don't even get me started on caves that make you learn Flash. Caves just suck in general. My favourite is when you finally get to the promised “Victory Road,” which sounds like a scenic, sunlit route that allows you to reflect on your journey as you take your final peaceful steps before meeting the elite f—NOPE IT'S A CAVE<br /><br />Zubats are even worse for Nuzlockers. You always end up with about five of them, and if you're playing post-Gen I you're practically obligated to train one into a Crobat, since it's stronger than any Normal/Flying type and happiness evolution is super convenient. Training them is horrible, though. Leech Life does about 2 damage to everything. It takes forever to learn Bite (level 16 in Gen III), and even longer to get a single move with STAB. Take a moment to appreciate how little sense this paragraph would make to your parents.<br /><br />Despite all this, Zubats aren't even that bad! If it didn't suffer from overexposure, it would be a great pokemon. I suppose it's not the most inspired design, but bats are cool, right? It's got a cool name. And it's got those weird dorsal guiding fins. And its lack of eyes is pretty cute. Except at that one angle where they cannot be unseen:<br /><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Krrc1J-BQt0/TbCN6ofWAMI/AAAAAAAAANY/rwHJTd1vcB4/s1600/188a9010_6bc4_da79.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 247px; height: 250px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Krrc1J-BQt0/TbCN6ofWAMI/AAAAAAAAANY/rwHJTd1vcB4/s400/188a9010_6bc4_da79.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598130375262339266" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I have to admit, though, Woobat in Gen V is an improvement, unoriginal though it may seem. Partly because Psychic/Flying makes far more sense for a bat than Poison/Flying (poisonous bats? What's with Generation I's obsession with poison types anyway?), and partly because: have you <span style="font-style:italic;">seen</span> real life Honduran white bats? They are the zenith of bat cuteness.</div><div><br /><a href="http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/2445/whitebats05.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 419px; height: 250px;" src="http://img849.imageshack.us/img849/2445/whitebats05.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Do a Google search. You will be unable to tell them apart from the zoological fan art people make of them with cotton balls.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Ruby and Sapphire</span><br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0KNaXpvRnB8/TbCO3mq9WoI/AAAAAAAAANo/6OGdRQ50Jv0/s1600/Spr_3r_041.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 64px; height: 64px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0KNaXpvRnB8/TbCO3mq9WoI/AAAAAAAAANo/6OGdRQ50Jv0/s400/Spr_3r_041.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5598131422746204802" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Red and Green's sprite is one telescoping leg short of a tripod. I haven't played a Zubat in Black and White so I can't confirm this, but I'm guessing they chose Platinum's sprite just so they could alternate it with D/P's. Easy animation!<br /><br />I was pretty sure I would go with a Gen II sprite here, since their dark palette suits Zubat best and I have fond memories, for some inconceivable and possibly masochistic reason, of battling Zubats in Gold. I don't even care that the back of its wing isn't solid like on the other Zubats.</div><div><br /></div><div>But Ruby and Sapphire's sprite is just excellent. Its curvature gives it movement. Note the way its mouth hangs open into space, lower lip invisible. It is a mouth out of nothingness. And the wings! Too many flying pokemon suffer from stumpy wings. Not this Zubat. Those are way too narrow to provide an animal with any sort of lift, but it doesn't matter because they look cool.<br /></div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-44888085602901577142011-02-21T04:15:00.007-05:002014-02-24T06:15:48.502-05:0040. Wigglytuff<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-231OLPCj_Gw/Uwsp2OfNrvI/AAAAAAAAA5A/tho7Y_0SoNU/s1600/40.+wigglytuff.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-231OLPCj_Gw/Uwsp2OfNrvI/AAAAAAAAA5A/tho7Y_0SoNU/s1600/40.+wigglytuff.png" /></a><br />Wigglytuff's design has changed drastically over the years. You can barely recognise it anymore! Observe the sprites. First, it had white tips on its ears, then it didn't, and now it does again! Also, the white fur on its stomach used to stop underneath its mouth, and now it extends past it! The job of a character designer never ends.<br /><br />I had a good chuckle reading up on Wigglytuff on Bulbapedia (spoiler: 99% of how I write this blog). It says, “Wigglytuff's name is a combination of <span style="font-style: italic;">wiggly</span> and <span style="font-style: italic;">tuff</span> —...<span style="font-style: italic;">tuff</span> may refer to either its toughness or the tuft of hair on its head (Pokémon names can only be ten characters in length, and Wigglytough would be eleven).” Yeah, I think you can safely rule out the “tough” bit Bulbapedia. Having high HP and no defense doesn't make a pokemon tough, unless by tough you mean it may still have health after any proper attack does a gazillion million damage to it.<br /><br />Furthermore, we have yet another stone-evolved, move-illiterate pokemon here. Were they all clustered together in the pokedex? It could be worse though; they could be trade-evolved pokemon. <span style="font-style: italic;">Hissssss</span><br /><br />But believe it or not, I'm not here to hate on Wigglytuff. I actually really like its design. There is something about it that is very prominent and unsettling. I'll give you a hint.<br /><br /><a href="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/2184/wigglytuffstare.gif" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://img25.imageshack.us/img25/2184/wigglytuffstare.gif" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 300px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 400px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Jeepers peepers.<br /><br />Wigglytuff has a soul-piercing gaze for the ages. It basically has Jigglypuff's eyes transplanted onto a bigger, more bunnyish body, and yet Jigglypuff's stare isn't nearly as skin-crawly. I'm not sure why this is. Consistently Wigglytuff is given the most circular, empty, marble eyeballs possible, directed square at the viewer... am I just imagining this? Is it the fault of early game sprites, or the anime? Maybe I should check out Sugimori's original artwork for this pokemon, see how he envisioned it looki—OH MY GOD<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79zUfWYdf2I/TWIxua67GhI/AAAAAAAAANI/kqVrmW_Tmqc/s1600/040.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576073962208303634" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-79zUfWYdf2I/TWIxua67GhI/AAAAAAAAANI/kqVrmW_Tmqc/s400/040.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 142px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 160px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Not only are they perfectly round and symmetrical, they also appear to be reflecting a sunlit vision of Elysium. Maybe Wigglytuff looks as it does because its eyes see nothing but death. That should have been one of its pokedex entries! Nintendo dropped the ball there.<br /><br />I also like how Wigglytuff had <a href="http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m8ppe4Xj5P1r16bl9o5_400.jpg" target="_blank">its own Jungle expansion pack</a>, because nothing says “Jungle” like a giant pink bunny. Apparently Wigglytuff is hard-ass enough to handle itself in any extreme environment (note the green eye reflections in that pic, by the way). Finally, I want to give a shout out to the Jigglypuff family's pre-evolution, Igglybuff. Normally I hate baby pokemon, but this one might actually surpass Wigglytuff's creepiness. Look at this thing:<br /><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rQR4UumUEq0/UKhXSWI-sEI/AAAAAAAAAq8/QS8Z837tS6s/s1600/Igglybuff.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-rQR4UumUEq0/UKhXSWI-sEI/AAAAAAAAAq8/QS8Z837tS6s/s400/Igglybuff.jpg" width="260" /></a><br />You've got the blood-red eyes, and what I can only assume is some kind of Wiccan symbol on its forehead. Clearly this is a hellspawn.</div><div><br /><u>The winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">FireRed and LeafGreen</span><br /><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tFeZrkwZpcM/TWIxewBgRpI/AAAAAAAAANA/zdjEk8uKX1E/s1600/Spr_3f_040.png" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5576073692995143314" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tFeZrkwZpcM/TWIxewBgRpI/AAAAAAAAANA/zdjEk8uKX1E/s400/Spr_3f_040.png" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: left; height: 64px; margin: 0 0px 0px 0; width: 64px;" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />A fun side-quest for this blog would be to determine which of the first two GameBoy sprites is the scariest. It's a close call. One's got the crazed asymmetry, but giving it <span style="font-style: italic;">two</span> oversized dinner plate eyes doesn't exactly improve matters.<br /><br />From there, though, they try to go the cute route, giving Wigglytuff more scaled-down, Jigglypuff eyes. It loses some character that way though; Jigglypuff looks good with slight crosseyes, but on HG/SS here it just looks mildly daft. R/S is, I think, the first time I've seen a pokemon given an official :3 face.<br /><br />FR/LG I think best captures Wigglytuff's weirdness. Instead of making it just look happy and playful, they gave it a more ambiguous expression, like it just might be batshit insane.</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4469710531389230647.post-52094429576372797482011-02-19T15:01:00.009-05:002011-02-19T18:49:08.727-05:0039. Jigglypuff<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7452/39jigglypuff.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 575px; height: 78px;" src="http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/7452/39jigglypuff.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><div>I always get stuck on these... <span style="font-style:italic;">popular</span> pokemon. Really, what hasn't been said about Jigglypuff.<br /><br />Perhaps the most important thing Jigglypuff can teach us is the danger of bro culture. Don't pass out when there are markers about.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdly0bAJ71qzxegjo1_400.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 305px;" src="http://27.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lgdly0bAJ71qzxegjo1_400.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The anime brought it to stardom as the dopey, but lovable sidekick type, a character trait it hasn't made use of <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Misty's_Psyduck" target="_blank">about</a> <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Jessie's_Wobbuffet" target="_blank">fifty</a> <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dawn's_Piplup" target="_blank">million</a> <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Ash's_Oshawott" target="_blank">times</a> or anything (but then what is the anime known for, if not <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Misty_(anime)" target="_blank">distinct</a> <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/May_(anime)" target="_blank">personality</a> <a href="http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dawn_(anime)" target="_blank">traits</a>), but I think Jigglypuff really came into its own when it somehow made it into the first Super Smash Bros. Masahiro Sakurai, apparently helplessly drawn to pink circular things (comic relevant),<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4950/2008050909jigglypuff.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 700px; height: 263px;" src="http://img254.imageshack.us/img254/4950/2008050909jigglypuff.png" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-style:italic;">might</span> have nerfed it obscenely in comparison to Kirby for the entire duration of the series, but y'know what? It's okay. Because being able to beat people with Jigglypuff becomes its own sort of game. Even if you fail, you earn respect just by trying. Better than Fox Only'ing everyone.</div><div><br />But still, I have some complaints. Does Sing really need to have the range of like, Jigglypuff's diameter? Sing is its main attack! In the anime, it has this creepy, Pied Piper ability to <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjyL2Wooh9Q" target="_blank">send entire cities into bouts of narcolepsy</a>, but in SSB you have to basically <span style="font-style:italic;">be on top of a person</span> for it to work, and then they wake up before the attack even ends. And they never bothered to buff this. You might as well just go for the Rest hit if you're that close to someone. Also, Rest should slightly reduce your damage %. I mean, it's the least they could do. I will say though, once it gets Rollout from Melee onward, Jigglypuff gains a whole new layer of awesome. That attack is amazing.<br /><br />So, how about Jigglypuff in actual Pokemon games? Well, it suffers from a lot of the same problems as Clefairy (which its design overlaps with, slightly), except it's not put out to be some rare, magical thing. You get 'em in that patch of grass right before Mt. Moon. I distinctly remember carrying a Jigglypuff in my party just to make use of Sing, as my “closer” in wild pokemon catch attempts. Though looking back, I'm not sure why I didn't just have a Butterfree with Sleep Powder. Jigglypuff shows up again early in Gold and Silver, in Route 46, that tiny one that goes nowhere. For some reason they all but cut it out of HeartGold and SoulSilver though; you can only get it in Kanto. I guess Nintendo was suffering from Jigglypuff fatigue.<br /><br />And what about it's design? Well, Jigglypuff is clearly based on a... rabbit... cat... hamster... alright, it's basically just a balloon. Which is cool! But it's not <a href="http://images.wikia.com/pokemon/images/e/eb/425Drifloon.png" target="_blank">my favourite balloon pokemon</a>, sadly.<br /><br /><u>The Winner:</u><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">HeartGold and SoulSilver</span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rAmoXVqtew/TWAmbBGT9SI/AAAAAAAAAM4/e3d9QkF8pzg/s1600/Spr_4h_039.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 0px 0px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 55px; height: 55px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-4rAmoXVqtew/TWAmbBGT9SI/AAAAAAAAAM4/e3d9QkF8pzg/s400/Spr_4h_039.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575498584277906722" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>Aww.</div><div><br />Gold and Silver's sprites are pretty good, and D/P's has a portly energy, but this one has Jigglypuff looking its most bashful and come-hither. Which is misleading, because what it's actually doing is coldly sizing up what resonant frequency its voice needs to strike in order to steal your wallet. Which is, I'm serious, the canonical explanation of Jigglypuff's powers, as per its Ruby pokedex entry. However improbable, that's always more interesting to me than “Uh, it's magic.”</div><div><br /></div>pokemonspriteguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17935670605498862681noreply@blogger.com6